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

“The United Kingdom voted in favour of resolution 2202 (2015) because of the importance of providing full Security Council backing for the agreements reached in Minsk on 5 and 19 September 2014 and of 12 February this year. These agreements must now be implemented comprehensively and according to the agreed timelines in order to secure a sustainable and peaceful resolution of the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Over 5,400 people have lost their lives in this conflict and over 1.5 million have been displaced. The parties must commit to and invest in this opportunity for peace. We welcome the intensive diplomatic efforts that have brought us to this point, but agreements have been reached before. This time, we must see commitments translated into action and full delivery of the obligations that have been undertaken.”
2015-02-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7384 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank Jordan and all delegations for their support and flexibility in agreeing this important resolution. I am particularly grateful for the close and productive consultations that Jordan and the United Kingdom have enjoyed with the GCC, Their leadership on this issue so close to their borders is critically important.”
2015-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7382 (2015) · source
“There can be no doubt that the principles underlying the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, the National Dialogue and last September's Peace and National Partnership Agreement are the only legitimate road map for Yemen's transition. The Council has sent a clear message today that all parties in Yemen, and especially the Houthis, need to pull back from the brink and implement these commitments on a swift and inclusive basis. I would like to express my appreciation for the continued work of the Special Adviser to the Secretary- General, Mr. Jamal Benomar, and call on the Houthis and on all parties to engage in good faith in United Nations-brokered negotiations. The Council has once again spoken in one voice and delivered a strong and unified message.”
2015-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7382 (2015) · source
“We welcome the unanimous adoption of resolution 2201 (2015). It was clear at the open briefing earlier this week (see S/PV.7381) that the world was waiting for a powerful message from the Security Council in response to recent developments in Yemen. Today, we have made clear that those who use Violence and intimidation to try to dictate Yemen's future are undermining the security of all Yemeni citizens and eroding the political progress made since 2011. The Houthis must take responsibility for their actions and stop using violence and coercion as political tools. They must ensure the immediate and safe release of President Hadi Mansour, Prime Minister Bahah and members of the Cabinet from house arrest.”
2015-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7382 (2015) · source
“It targets the sale of oil by ISIL and the supply of oil-producing equipment to ISIL. It calls on States to prohibit the trade in Iraqi and Syrian cultural property that has been illegally removed. We are pleased to have played an important role in ensuring that the resolution was comprehensive in confronting all sources of terrorist financing, and we look forward to working on full and effective implementation following this unanimous show of support for the resolution.”
2015-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7379 (2015) · source
“Resolution 2199 (2015) demonstrates the Security Council's continuing determination to tackle the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), specifically targetting its means of financing. It primarily focuses on oil sales, but also covers other sources ofISIL income, including from kidnapping for ransom, the elicit trade in antiquities, natural resources and financial transfers. The swift agreement of the resolution shows the strong and continuing unity of the Council on countering terrorism. There is a disturbing body of evidence that Al-Qaida groups such as ISIL are generating significant income from the sale of oil, kidnapping for ransom, and the looting and smuggling of cultural heritage items from Iraq and Syria. The resolution contains measures to constrain ISIL's ability to fund its campaign of terror.”
2015-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7379 (2015) · source
“We urge the Security Council and fellow Member States to incorporate the empowerment of women and girls into all of their work.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“This year alone, we have tremendous opportunities in which we must incorporate a rigorous focus on the protection of women and girls in ongoing initiatives, including the high-level reviews on women and peace and security and on peace operations and the post-2015 development agenda. Equality between men and women, the empowerment of women and girls, respect for, and the promotion of, their dignity and human rights, and the prevention of, and response to, sexual violence are fundamental Canadian values. That is why Canada is so committed to the elimination of all forms ofviolence against women and girls, ending child, early and forced marriage, and the promotion of maternal, newborn and child health. We must all do more.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Furthermore, we must ensure that the priorities and recommendations of the United Nations consistently reflect the specific needs of women and girls. It is for those reasons that Canada supports the United Nations Human Rights Up Front initiative. The use of the Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes serves as an important early-warning system that supports human rights by providing valuable guidance on implementing specific prevention measures. (spoke in English) We believe that efforts to address protection challenges in armed conflict and post-conflict settings will be incomplete, even impossible, without the full participation and empowerment of women and girls.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“We remain concerned that humanitarian agencies have been facing increasing challenges in gaining access to civilians affected by armed conflict. In times of armed conflict and displacement, the protection needs of the most vulnerable, including women and children, too often go unmet. Canada fully supports the women and peace and security agenda. Women's empowerment and the protection of their rights not only enhances their ability to protect themselves, it affects the fate of entire communities, as women are undeniably agents of resilience and positive change. We must strengthen the quality of casualty tracking and the collection of disaggregated data. We must get better at ensuring that the work of the international community reflects what our gender analyses and data collection tells us.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Canada has strongly condemned the campaign of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) of sexual violence, which has included staggering levels of forced marriage, abduction, trafficking, torturing, raping and killing of women and children. We have also spoken out in the strongest terms against the terrorist group Boko Haram's vile crimes against civilian populations. These have included the calculated targeting of schoolchildren, the kidnapping, rape and forced marriage of young women and girls, and the forced recruitment of young girls to carry out suicide bomb attacks. (spoke in French) It is clear that the rise of violent extremism in these and other instances has had a particularly grave impact on the rights and well-being of women and children.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Civilians sufferdisproportionately in times of war and conflict, and Canada condemns the appalling rise in acts specifically targeting women and children that have become such a grim feature of many of today's armed conflicts. Mr. Barros Melet took the Chair. There is an urgent need for the Security Council and for all Member States to address the crises in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere that are brutalizing civilians and tragically targeting the most vulnerable: women and girls. It is imperative that both State and non-State armed groups fully respect their obligations under international law, and that violators be held accountable.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“The year 2015 is a significant one for women in conflict environments. As we move towards the fifteenth anniversary ofresolution 1325 (2000), we look forward to the publication, in October, of the global study and the high-level review on women and peace and security. We hope for ambitious, tangible outcomes and commitments that can really change the lives of women and girls across the globe. Words are no longer enough. Now our actions must speak louder.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“We look forward to examining recommendations from the high-level discussions on Monday on this topic. It is critical that the peace operations review reflects these issues and the broader obligations of Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Political Affairs on women and peace and security and women's participation. Finally, engaging with military and security actors remains a key challenge. The security sector should be responsive to women's needs, and gender-sensitive training should be part of any police, army and justice sector reform. Concrete measures must be taken to increase the recruitment, retention and promotion of women throughout national militaries and police forces. Greater information-sharing among military and civilians is crucial to better inform our strategies to protect women.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“The report of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, held in London in June 2014, will be circulated shortly, with recommendations including those on peacekeeping. Addressing sexual violence in conflict should be a mission-wide objective. Indicators of success for protection-of- civilian mandates should include the consultation of women, particularly displaced populations, and how the concerns identified are being addressed. Scenario- basedtraining on sexual violence should be incorporated into every predeployment training for contributing countries, including at the senior-officer level. And existing reporting and accountability mechanisms for sexual exploitation and abuse committed by peacekeeping personnel must be much tighter.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Provisions should be put in place for vulnerable populations, such as the young, the disabled, the elderly and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities. Through the call to action in 2013, the United Kingdom announced $30 million in new funding to help protect women and girls in emergencies. That includes $5 million for the United Nations Population Fund to establish safe spaces for women in Syria, and $6 million and $2.5 million in Lebanon and Jordan, respectively, to prevent vulnerable families from turning to child labour and survival sex. Thirdly, the protection of civilians by peacekeepers must address the needs of women and girls as well as men and boys.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“The fact that women are not present at every peace table is as much a rebuke to men as an insult to women. That so many post-conflict Governments do not include women in their security and judicial infrastructure is as damaging to those bodies' success as it is to women's rights. That we struggle to have an appropriate number of women on a high-level panel considering the future of peace operations shows that, even here at the United Nations Headquarters, our own words do not yet match reality. This must change if we are truly committed to enhancing women's protection and to bringing about a more peaceful society. Secondly, supporting survivors of gender-based violence should be incorporated into humanitarian programming and into the first stage of an emergency response.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“We have allocated almost $60 million to specialist support services and national helplines for domestic violence. By 2016, women in our military will be serving in combat positions alongside men for the first time. Unsurprisingly, countries in conflict face particular challenges on this agenda, with underlying inequality being compounded by a breakdown in society. To quote a few examples, the Democratic Republic of the Congo comes one hundred and forty-seventh in the Inequality Index. Mali is one hundred and forty-eighth, Afghanistan one hundred and forty-ninth. One woman is raped every minute in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Afghanistan, women face the daily threat of assassination purely for choosing a role in public life. These are challenges that we have to address.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“It is clear that much more can be done, and it is vital that we do it. We must address the underlying causes of gender inequality and violence against women, not only in conflicts but also in peacetime. I think there are four key areas for the Security Council to consider. First, we must consider women's participation and equality. Queen Boudicea is a symbol of powerful female leadership in Britain. A tribal warrior, over the past 2,000 years she has inspired many great women who have fought for gender equality. But even in my country there is still a way to go, and we cannot be complacent. The United Kingdom is thirty-fifth on the United Nations Development Programme Gender Inequality Index. We continually strive to achieve equality and to end violence against women in our society. Our gender pay gap is the lowest on record.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Today, we consider the unique and devastating impact that conflict has on women and girls and the challenges that we must overcome to empower them as equals in our society. Daily we are reminded of the vast array of human rights violations that women suffer in conflict, and of extremist groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram, which attack women's rights - their bodies, their education, their choice of religion - as a central tactic of their terror campaigns. It is estimated that 1,500 Yazidi and Christian people were forced into sexual slavery in Iraq last year. In Nigeria, hundreds of women and girls were kidnapped from Chibok. In South Sudan and the Central African Republic, high levels of child forced marriage and rape persist unabated.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“I thank the Chilean delegation for holding this important debate today. And I thank Assistant Secretary-General Kang, International Committee of the Red Cross Director Durham and Ms. Elman for their sobering and challenging briefings this morning. This is the first protection-of-civilians debate in which a representative from a non-governmental organization has briefed the Council, and I welcome that initiative. It is vital that we listen to people on the ground, and I hope that this example will be repeated in future. The protection of civilians is at the heart of everything we strive to achieve in the Security Council. It is our raison d'etre and what the United Nations system is ultimately judged on. Protecting the lives of women, men, boys and girls from the ravages of conflict is vital to our mission.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“The overlap of views between us is greater than many give us credit for. The differences are relatively few, but they are acute. To succeed we will need to focus on these differences and not let them disrupt the areas that we do agree on. We owe it to all those suffering from the effects of conflict to do our utmost in these efforts.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“For over 50 years, the Council has toiled with this issue, and a solution is long overdue. The Council shares the same core commitment to a negotiated settlement that leads to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian State. But last year the prospects for a two-State solution moved backwards. This year we must turn that momentum around. We must remain open to working with partners to revisit the parameters resolution. With sufficient time for proper negotiation, we may yet secure the full support of the Council for a resolution of this nature, which could help to kick-start a sustainable peace process. The challenge for the Council during this anniversary year will be whether we can make progress on these and other seemingly intractable conflicts.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“Persistent, credible reporting of continued regime use of chemical weapons, in the form of chlorine, is an outrage which warrants Council attention. And, despite adoption of resolution 2191 (2014), the grave humanitarian situation continues to worsen. Let us not sit and watch another year go by as the toll of death and misery mounts. It is more imperative than ever that we come together to support a political process, in line with the Geneva communique of the Action Group for Syria (S/2012/522, annex) that brings an end to the violence. We look forward to Staffan de Mistura briefing the Council on his latest efforts next month and working with Council colleagues to find a viable end to this appalling conflict in the course of 2015. This month we also discussed perhaps the most intractable issue of all - the Middle East peace process.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“Because despite our calls, the Minsk agreements of 2014 in September remain unfulfilled and the Russian military support for the separatists continues unabated, in clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. If Russia wishes to work for a peaceful solution, it needs to match its leaders' words with deeds. Trust in Russia is currently at a low and hard work will be required to regain it, but a political settlement should be achievable and Russia will find willing international partners, ifit is prepared to change course on Ukraine. We have also discussed the brutal conflict in Syria. An additional 76,000 people were killed in Syria in the course of last year, the majority through the regime's barbaric actions, including indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“In this seventieth anniversary year of the United Nations, it is more important than ever that we face up to those challenges and work harder to overcome the divisions that have prevented the Security Council from taking action. I would like to mention three such conflicts. First, we have already met twice this year to discuss the worrying escalation in violence in eastern Ukraine. The separatist attack on Mariupol last Saturday that killed 30 people was a provocative and indiscriminate act that risks increasing the scope and severity of this crisis. This was not the first separatist attack targeting civilians this year. They could not have carried these attacks without Russian support and military hardware.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“I congratulate you on the informative open debate on inclusive development and the prevention of conflict (see S/PV.7361), and I look forward to tomorrow's debate on the important role that women must play in the protection of civilians. Together with the United Nations community, we commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and expressed our solidarity in the fight against anti-Semitism. In addition, the Council travelled to Haiti to see at first hand the work of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. And sadly, we have already agreed on five press statements this year condemning new terrorist atrocities. Equally sadly, we have also started this year as we finished the last, addressing a series of seemingly intractable conflicts that have divided us.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, and the Chilean Mission on guiding the Council smoothly through a hectic first month of 2015. I would also like to welcome once again our five new colleagues, whose contributions we are already appreciating. I am grateful to you, Mr. President, for convening today's wrap-up meeting, and pleased that we are again holding it in public. We have covered a broad range of issues in January, including the worrying developments in Yemen, the escalating violence in Ukraine, the situations in the Middle East, Syria, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as emergency discussions on Lebanon and Nepal.”
2015-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7373 (2015) · source
“It must use its influence over the separatists to stabilize the situation and prevent further dangerous escalation. It must play its full part in ensuring the immediate implementation of the Minsk protocol. Once again today, the representative of the Russian Federation has claimed that his country wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but such words are worthless in themselves. We need to see Russian actions to put a stop to this widening and increasingly deadly conflict.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“They provide the foundation for an international system that is based on rules and respect and the preservation of international peace and security. We all defend these principles because we do not want a world where borders are redrawn by force, where States are threatened and destabilized by their neighbours, and where innocent civilian populations live in fear of battle orders issued in far-off capitals. The Security Council has to make very clear where it stands against the profoundly dangerous path that Russia is pursuing in east Ukraine. That is why I urge all Council members to be clear in their messaging today. Russia must withdraw its equipment and troops. It must cease its support for the separatists, and it must effectively control its borders.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“While Russia professes adherence to the Minsk agreement and the Normandy format meetings, and while it accuses the Ukrainian Government of provocations, the separatist forces that it supports are bent on undermining those agreements, attacking civilians and creating new realities on the ground. That approach, as we have seen in Mariupol this weekend, will only lead us closer to the precipice. It will lead to more deaths, more destruction and more people displaced from their homes. On each occasion that the Council has met to discuss Ukraine, the vast majority of its members have underlined their commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We assert quite rightly that these are fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“Russia arms the separatists, it finances them, it advises them, and it fights covertly alongside them. What it has not managed to do is to get its separatist proxies to stick to Russia's deceitful narrative. The self- proclaimed leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, proudly announced on 24 January that "Today an offensive was launched on Mariupol. This will be the best possible monument to all of our dead". That statement, and others like it, cannot be glibly ignored, as the Russian representative encourages us to do. It is the reality.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“There is no doubt that the flow of heavy weapons across those borders, in violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, has given the separatists the fire power and the confidence to escalate the conflict. Since the Minsk agreement in September, which included an immediate ceasefire, the separatists have taken control of an additional 550 square kilometres of territory. Despite the commitments made at Minsk to securing continuous monitoring of the border with verification from the OSCE, hundreds of kilometres of border remain free for the flow of these deadly weapons, often under the guise of humanitarian convoys. Russia's persistent blocking of the proposed expansion of the OSCE border monitoring reveals its true intentions.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission analysis of both attacks indicates clearly that in both incidents the rockets were fired from separatist-held territory. The attack would not have been possible without the military support of Russia and its supply of multiple-launch Grad and Uragan rocket systems to the separatists. In the past few weeks, Russia has transferred to the separatists hundreds of additional heavy weapons, not just rocket systems but also heavy artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles. Hundreds of Russian regular forces and special forces continue to operate on Ukrainian territory, in clear violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. These soldiers are backed by Russian command-and-control elements, air defence systems, drones and electronic warfare systems.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“The attack was just not another refusal of the separatist leadership to abide by the commitments made at Minsk; it was a provocative and reckless escalation that, as the Secretary-General has made clear, could constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. Those responsible for the attack must be held accountable for their actions. It is deeply regrettable that the Council failed to agree on a press statement that would have condemned the announcement of a separatist offensive against Mariupol and the subsequent attack on Mariupol. No one in the Council can deny the fact that the attack on Mariupol, like last week's on a bus near Volnovakha, came from the Russian-backed separatists.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank Mr. Feltman for his briefing this afternoon. This weekend, we saw the biggest single loss of civilian life in the Ukrainian crisis since the commitments made at Minsk on 5 September last year. Thirty civilians were killed and over 100 wounded following what the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) termed "an extremely heavy barrage" of rockets fired indiscriminately into the crowded streets of Mariupol. Only three days earlier, the Council had met to raise our serious concerns at the escalation in fighting along the agreed ceasefire line (see S/PV.7365). All of us called for de-escalation and a resumption of dialogue. That attack, many kilometres over the agreed ceasefire line, has taken the scope and threat of the conflict to a substantially new level.”
2015-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7368 (2015) · source
“This demonstrates a pattern of Russian interference in the domestic affairs of its neighbours and a blatant disregard for their sovereignty and territorial integrity. We call on Russia to exert its influence over separatists, cease the destabilizing activities and work in good faith to find a political solution. The Minsk agreements provide the framework for that solution. They must be implemented in full and without delay.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“Yet hundreds of Russian troops still remain on the territory of Ukraine, as do thousands of so-called volunteers, in flagrant violation of the protocol. The withdrawal of those forces is fundamental to the Minsk agreement and the only way to secure the future territorial integrity of Ukraine. It is important that the Council continue to pay the closest attention to the situation in Ukraine and insist on further progress towards the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Russia has chosen not to uphold its commitments and pursue this path to restoring stability. And Ukraine, sadly, is not the only case. Russia has made an agreement with a breakaway Georgian province of Abkhazia and is in the process of doing the same with another Georgian region, South Ossetia.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“First, at Minsk, all sides agreed to secure continuous monitoring on the Ukraine/Russian border and verification by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of the creation of a security zone in the border regions of Ukraine and Russia. Despite the best efforts ofthe OSCE, whose work has been exemplary despite the challenges presented, only two checkpoints are currently monitored on the Russian side, leaving hundreds of kilometres free for the flow of weapons and personnel into Ukraine. If it is serious about Minsk, Russia must stop blocking the expansion of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. Secondly, at Minsk, all sides agreed "to remove illegal armed formations, military equipment, fighters and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine".”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“However, despite a number of diplomatic initiatives, including today's Normandy-format meeting, more than 1,000 people have been killed since those commitments were made in September, and separatists have taken control of a substantial additional area of Ukrainian territory since the September agreements. Indeed, any analysis of the implementation of the Minsk agreements lays bare the manifest failure of Russia and the separatists to implement 10 out of the 12 commitments made on that occasion. In particular, Russia's refusal to implement two key provisions continue to undermine the prospects for peace in Ukraine.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“Two days ago, two companies of Russian troops, including up to 30 armoured personnel carriers and a dozen tanks, were seen crossing the border into Ukraine. Daily we see Russian soldiers operating alongside the separatists. We see separatists brandishing the PKP, Russia's newest machine gun. We have also seen Russian- supplied T-72 BM. tanks in the streets of Luhansk and Donetsk. Neither the PKP nor the T-72 BM. is used by the Ukrainian armed forces. The consequences of the situation in the Donbas continue to hurt both the people and the economies of Ukraine and Russia. But there is a political way out: through implementation of the agreements that were reached in Minsk in September.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“The human rights situation gives equal cause for concern, with human rights violations reported in the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and a total breakdown in law and order in areas under separatist control. Against this deteriorating context, it should dismay us all that repeated calls for a ceasefire and for respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have not been heeded. All sides must engage in constructive dialogue and bring about an end to violence in eastern Ukraine. Russia must take steps to withdraw its equipment and troops from Ukraine, cease its support for the separatists and effectively control its borders. Despite persistent claims to the contrary, the evidence of Russia's support is beyond denial.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“It is clear, just as it was when we last met, in November (see S/PV.73ll), that Russia's actions continue to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, violating international norms and flouting the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The humanitarian impact of these actions is also clear. Over 1 million people have been displaced from their homes. As winter deepens, the situation will only get worse, with the elderly, the young and the infirm all increasingly vulnerable. The separatists must allow Ukrainian humanitarian convoys to enter the regions they control, and Russia must stop using its unilateral humanitarian convoys as cover to supply those separatists with arms.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“I welcome the briefing today by Under-Secretary- General Feltman following his recent visit to Ukraine. The worrying surge in violence over the past week underlines the grave threat that the situation in eastern Ukraine continues to pose to international peace and security. We were all shocked at the deaths of at least 12 civilians in Volnovakha earlier this month and by reports of hospitals being shelled in Donetsk. We have seen yet more reports of Russian personnel and equipment crossing the Ukrainian border. Among this, we have heard the usual pattern of Russian denials and misinformation.”
2015-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7365 (2015) · source
“In that context, we welcome the United Nations decision to commission a global study on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), which will feed into the high-level review in October.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Without women, we will only achieve unbalanced and unsustainable peace that ignores the needs of halfthe population. It is now nearly 15 years since the adoption of landmark resolution 1325 (2000), which for the first time recognized the unique impact that conflict has on women, as well as the significant contribution women can make to conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding. There has been some progress since then, but much more needs to be done to ensure the meaningful participation of women in all the different processes needed when building an inclusive society. This should include women's greater participation in elections, peacebuilding processes and mediation. It should mean more women in the police and security services, and better training for armed forces and rule-of-law actors in gender and women's rights.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“They are the antithesis of fundamental United Nations values and must be confronted. But we must also understand better the drivers of extremism. In some cases, marginalization and exclusion can play a part in radicalization. In addition, weak, fragile and conflict-affected States create a permissive enabling environment within which violent extremism can flourish. Effective United Nations peacebuilding interventions can play an important role in promoting inclusive political institutions, democratic processes and accountable security andjustice services. This is the best way to choke off extremist narratives. Finally, inclusivity is meaningless without women's active participation in political institutions, peace negotiations and policymaking.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“We welcome the Secretary-General's "Human Rights Up Front" initiative, which seeks to ensure the United Nations does all it can to help protect people at risk and those subject to serious violations of human rights before events escalate into armed conflict and mass atrocities. Thirdly, the relationship between violent extremism and the absence ofinclusivity is complex. We have seen already this year shocking and deadly attacks in France, Yemen, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan. Extremists, by their very nature, are opposed to inclusivity. Their narratives tend to be revolutionary, uncompromising, elitist and exclusivist in nature. They foster a world View based on "them" and "us". And they often seek to exclude women and persecute minorities. We cannot allow these ideas to take root.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Secondly, where national political institutions are not inclusive, we must recognize that the potential for conflict increases. In August last year, when the Council adopted resolution 2171 (2014), on conflict prevention, I said that the Council was designed to be a smoke detector, not just a fire extinguisher (see S/PV.7247). Too often we are trying to manage crises and failing to take seriously our conflict-prevention role. We need to do better at monitoring situations in which political processes or institutions exclude or marginalize specific groups. And we need to have the political will to take appropriate early action, if necessary.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“The Security Council should therefore reflect on how it can support countries in developing inclusive national institutions. I believe that there are four key challenges. First, we need to be patient. There are no short-cuts to building inclusive national institutions. The World Bank estimates that, in a best-case scenario, making meaningful improvements to institutions takes between 10 and 17 years. Sustained political and financial support to institution-building is therefore critical. The United Kingdom will do its part. Uniquely among Group of 20 countries, we have kept our promise to spend 0.7 per cent of our gross national income on overseas aid, at least 30 per cent of which will be spent in conflict-affected States. And we are now the second- largest overall financial contributor to the United Nations system.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source