YouSaid · the spoken record

Maurer

lines on the record: 273
first: 1996-08-15
most recent: 2022-01-25
sittings or episodes: 35
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

“Through our substantial experience in the area of detention, we can assist the Council in preparing for those moments when peacekeepers will likely have to arrest and detain persons. We have seen in the past that preparation is more fruitful than scrambling in an emergency. We need the necessary protocols and procedures on detention, transfer and access for ICRC to be in place before operations start. There are other active measures that the Council can take for the effective protection of civilians.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“We also want to continue to work with peacekeeping missions, troop- and police-contributing countries and the United Nations Secretariat to further build on the fruitful cooperation that we have established over decades. We are ready to increase in volume and depth our training programmes on international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians for peacekeepers, ahead of deployment and in theatre, and to strengthen our protection dialogue with all parties. We are ready to engage on the front lines of conflict and with all those bearing arms to find arrangements through which civilians are protected and international humanitarian law is respected. Often the first step towards better protection is by rebuilding minimal trust among belligerents across contact lines.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“Any kind of confusion or blurring between the political mandate of peacekeeping missions and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's principles can potentiallyjeopardize our access to people in need and risk the lives of my colleagues. We will continue to protect our distinctiveness so as to ensure that we can deliver to the best of our abilities to people suffering in wars, and we ask peacekeepers and the Council to do the same. We will continue to rely on our own security protocols, which are not based on weaponized security, but on engagement with and consensus among all those bearing arms, and transparency about our strictly needs-based action.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“Neither humanitarians nor peacekeepers must limit or prevent the empowerment of people. After all, it is the people in the communities who know their environment and the changing dynamics best. I have myself seen remarkable examples of local men and women negotiating access for humanitarian organizations, for instance. There is a role for peacekeepers in community engagement, as the Secretary-General also highlighted ahead oftoday's meeting. Peacekeepers must create and support those spaces in which locals can negotiate. As close as peacekeepers and humanitarians are to each other geographically in the field, it is of vital importance for the ICRC to be perceived and understood as the strictly neutral, independent and impartial humanitarian organization that it is.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“They are held to the highest of standards, and where they fail, for whatever reason, the Council, as the organ responsible for establishing peacekeeping missions, must draw the appropriate conclusions and act on them in cooperation with the troop-contributing countries concerned, including on allegations of sexual violence against children and the murder of civilians, which have recently received media attention. All delegations know that the ICRC works on the front lines of armed conflicts around the world, and my organization is often among the last international humanitarian actors staying on the ground, close to the people. What we know from being close to people, in over 80 countries, is that communities possess tremendous strengths, particularly in times of fragility and emergency.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“I believe that this legal discussion of a technical nature should not preclude anyone from aiming for the highest standards, at all times, and that means impeccable respect for international humanitarian law. The more than 120,000 members of the United Nations forces form, in theory, the world's third largest army, and they are standard setters. Their exposure to some of the worst atrocities in human history, from Rwanda to Bosnia, from South Sudan to the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Somalia today, means that their actions can make a difference in the most difficult situations.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“We know this because in many places, from South Sudan to Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the ICRC works right alongside them. Since the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone in 1999, the Organization's mandates have increasingly included the protection of civilians, and I commend the Council for its commitment to using the resources at its disposal to ensure that people affected by conflict are spared whenever and however possible. The deployment of peace missions in Violent environments, with robust mandates, inevitably raises the question of when and under which conditions international humanitarian law applies to them.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“Mr. Maurer: I thank the Council for giving me the opportunity to address it again in this important debate today. War equals destruction - the destruction of the enemy, of military targets, of assets and of infrastructure. It might be regrettable, but it is not prohibited under international humanitarian law and therefore has to be accepted. What we cannot accept - what we must not accept - is that war destroys the lives of countless civilians. The protection of civilians lies at the heart of international humanitarian law and at the heart of the missions of both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Peacekeepers are often deployed on the front lines of armed conflict with increasingly robust mandates.”
2016-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7711 (2016) · source
“The hospital may be all but destroyed, but humanity still lives on. Humanity in war is what we demand. As we said earlier, at the ICRC even wars have limits because wars without limits are wars without ends. Health-care personnel and facilities are the outer frontier of those limits. Today, with the adoption of resolution 2286 (2016), the Council has reaffirmed the relevance of the laws of war and the basic humanitarian consensus enshrined in the Geneva Conventions. To demand that they be respected through practical measures is the most decisive next step the Council can take to ensure that humanity in war is a reality and notjust an ideal.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“We need to be cognizant of the tension between the political guidance that the Council is offering today on such an important issue and the practical challenges in contexts of war that frame the work of humanitarian actors on the ground. That is an additional reason, should we need one, that a regular exchange between the Council and front-line organizations like MSF and the ICRC are of such critical importance. I told the Council about the destroyed hospital that I saw in Syria a few months ago. What I did not say is that since its destruction, doctors, nurses and volunteers continue to work in the basement of the hospital. Once a space to stock materials, it has been transformed into a micro-version of a hospital. In one former storage room, premature babies lie in a few generator-powered incubators that were not demolished by shelling.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“As an organization working on the front lines of conflicts, we take resolution 2286 (2016) as a critically important political signal and as an encouragement to bear fruit on the ground. As a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian actor, we are aware that ours cannot be the task to use the resolution, or international humanitarian law in general, as part of a public argument indicting counterparts for violations of norms. Front-line negotiations will need skilled negotiators seeking the consent of parties in order to create an environment in which the key objectives of the resolution can be concretized and implemented through practical agreements amongst belligerents.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Secondly, military personnel should be trained to minimize disruptions to health-care services, while safeguarding legitimate security concerns. Thirdly, local health- care organizations should be supported to maintain minimum service through specific and tailor-made solutions. Fourthly, the legal protection for patients and health-care workers should be improved by ensuring the proper use of protective emblems, enhancing legal protection for medical ethics and addressing violations. And fifthly, we must ensure that every weapons transfer is done with an assurance to respect international humanitarian and targeted trainings that focus on the protection of medical personnel and facilities.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Several members of the Council already know first- hand how we work because we have built jointly with them a constructive relationship of deep operational engagement, feedback, dialogue and corrective measures with regard to the conduct of hostilities. I am here today not to cry outrage, but to offer the ICRC's help and constructive engagement to move out of the deep contemporary crisis of health systems in armed conflicts. I would like to propose to the Council five work streams to ensure that the resolution that was adopted today is not only text but also a spirit that is respected in the middle of war. First, we should align domestic legislation and encourage other States to follow suit, in line with obligations under international law and with ethical principles of the medical sector.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“As members of the Council know, we engage with everyone who can make a difference, and the first in line are medical practitioners themselves. Therefore, together with the World Medical Association, the International Committee of Military Medicine, the International Council of Nurses, the International Pharmaceutical Federation, the International Federation of Medical Students Associations and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, we have drawn up a document entitled "Ethical principles of health care in times of armed conflict and other emergencies". Those organizations today represent 30 million health-care professionals from the civilian and military realms, who now have a practical tool to guide them in their daily work.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“We recognize the dilemmas that exist in times of war, and we recognize the difficult balance between, once again, military necessity and humanitarian imperative, between principles and pragmatism, between short- and long- term concerns, and between our role as advocates for victims and as interlocutors of parties to conflicts to mitigate the effects of warfare on civilians and civilian infrastructure. We are committed to principled pragmatism. Norms and accountability for such norms are an important side of the medal. Condemnations are first and foremost political, not humanitarian acts. As humanitarians, we engage to change behaviours and prevent violations of international humanitarian law, thereby protecting people.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“The resolution marks a momentous step in the international community's effort to draw attention to a problem that we otherwise risk getting used to through the sheer frequency of its occurrence. We have not yet been desensitized by such attacks because we are still outraged after every one. But after outrage must come action, not complacency. Therefore, while the resolution is an important step, it must mark not the end of a political process but the beginning of a practical effort. I ask the Council to build on the momentum of the resolution. States and non-State armed groups must respect their obligations under international law. Everyone on the Council knows that the ICRC as an inherently pragmatic institution.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“If they are violated, that function unravels, and health- care services are particularly vulnerable and exposed. I want to commend the Council for adopting resolution 2286 (2016) today. I know from my own experiences at the Organization that every comma actually has carefully been considered and negotiated, and the result is strong. In clear language, the Council has underlined the importance of international humanitarian law and called on States and all parties to armed conflict to comply with their obligations and develop effective measures to protect people's lives by preventing and addressing violence against medical personnel, facilities, transport and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“It is not true that the guiding principles of the conduct of hostilities in warfare are wrong or outdated. Rather, they need to be interpreted differently in today's environment. Much more weight has to be given to the impact on civilians and their protection in order to counter the decade-long trend in which civilians have borne the brunt of armed conflict or even become the very objective of attacks. Beyond the immediate, when attacks and the destruction of health infrastructure occur, efforts to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and fight against diseases, such as polio, are wiped out in a matter of seconds. Rebuilding what has been destroyed will take years, if not decades. International humanitarian law and humanitarian action play a critical role as guarantors for development progress during violence and conflicts.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Where a lot of people live closely together and depend on infrastructure and public services that are all intertwined, the effects of attacks and destruction are greatest. The ICRC, in a recent study, has summarized its experience with the successive disintegration of urban services for people in today's conflicts. What we see from the study is that humanitarian assistance is always insufficient to cope with the progressive dismantling of social services over time. What is needed is a fundamental change of behaviour in warfare. The humanitarian consequences of the cumulative impact that results when essential infrastructure like hospitals is annihilated must be taken into account when balancing military necessity against the protection of civilians, in line with the provisions of international humanitarian law.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Today the reality in too many war-torn countries is that if you do not die from shelling or fighting, you die because there is no dialysis equipment, no diabetes medicine, no antibiotics and no heart disease treatment. Death rates by communicable and non-communicable diseases often surpass death rates by weapons. That, for us as humanitarians, is an indicator that we are not confronted with mere temporary disruptions but with system disintegration. It is notjust a hospital or a doctor affected; entire health systems unravel under the attacks on health facilities and personnel. The medical sector, alongside water, power and education infrastructure, is often the first in line to collapse under the cumulative impact of warfare, particularly in urban areas, when heavy explosive weapons are used.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Attacking a hospital, threatening a doctor, coercing a nurse to give preferential treatment to armed fighters, hijacking ambulances, using patients as human shields - such acts are not collateral damage, they are not sad realities that we have to get used to. They are abominations to fight and trends to roll back. The direct effects on health-care facilities, personnel and transports are grave, yet the indirect effects go even deeper. When a hospital run by Me'decins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Yemen's Sa'ada province was destroyed in October 2015, it meant that 200,000 people instantly lost access to vital medical care. Five years into the war in Syria, the entire city of Rastan has one dentist left, for 120,000 people.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Those are just a few examples of the human beings, and their stories, that the staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are confronted with in the field, every day, around the world. They show the impact of war on people but, more important, they show that medical treatment and health care at large are crucial in time of war. International humanitarian law therefore specifically protects medical personnel, facilities and transports precisely because they are indispensable in time of war. Not doing so risks multiplying the impact on health systems, which in turn risk unravelling, with an impact far beyond the region concerned and imposing a burden on future generations.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“As wars and armed conflicts have evolved from taking place in open battlefields to urban areas, and from the use of pistols to mass shelling and bombardment by air forces, the wounded and the sick are no longer just those in uniform. The wounded and the sick now include Ramish, who was 9 years old when he stepped on a mine in Afghanistan. They include Mathilde, who was raped by fighters while she was harvesting her fields with her husband in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They include the wife of Khaled in Syria, whom I met and who died during childbirth because there was no midwife or doctor to atttend to her. And they include all the nameless patients in the hospital I mentioned at the beginning of my briefing.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Stephen O'Brien, Emergency Relief Coordinator, has stated that, after a year of fighting in Yemen, one quarter of the country's health services have been destroyed or shut down. In 2015, the ICRC registered a 50 per cent increase in Afghanistan in the number of incidents against health staff and facilities, as compared with the previous year. That means one incident every three days, without considering how many incidents go unreported. Not always, but far too often, such incidents, attacks and destruction constitute outright violations of international humanitarian law. It is no coincidence that the very first Geneva Convention, in 1864, pertained to the amelioration of the condition of the wounded and sick - to be precise, the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“President, for inviting the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to brief the Council on such an important issue. I also thank the Secretary-General for his kind words at the beginning of this meeting, as well as for our good partnership and friendship throughout the year as we confront challenges such as the one we are discussing today. The ICRC has found that 2,400 attacks against patients and health personnel, facilities and transports occurred in 11 conflict-affected countries over the course of three years. That is more than two attacks per day, every day, for three years. And we looked at only 11 countries in our study. Last year, the World Health Organization announced that 60 per cent of health-care facilities in Syria had been damaged or destroyed, while 25,000 people were being wounded every month.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“Mr. Maurer: A couple of months ago, I stood in front of a four-story building - it was really more the shell of a building, completely bombed out, burned out and ripped apart, with steel cables sticking out from the load-bearing walls and rubble all around. The only indication that it had once been a hospital was a surgical lamp, miraculously still attached to the ceiling of the second floor. I was in Syria, but I could just as well have been in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Yemen or any other place. It is a painful paradox that in times of greatest need the availability of health care is at its lowest. In war people are injured, malnourished and sick. Yet the greater the need for medical treatment, the more difficult it is to obtain such treatment, because the few places and persons that can help come under attack. I thank you, Mr.”
2016-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7685 (2016) · source
“We are determined to live up to the following principle: the only side taken by the Red Cross and Red Crescent is the side of the Victims. Protecting the lives of humanitarian workers is not the responsibility of any specific country; it is the responsibility of all nations and communities, stemming from a truly universal value. It deserves the full attention that it is receiving in the Security Council today.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Those attacks are deliberate, and the perpetrators will not be deterred by well-crafted explanations of humanitarian mandates or by security procedures. For an organization like the ICRC, finding a way to respond to such manifestations of hostility can be an insurmountable challenge, for they threaten its very operational model and its ability to reach communities. The States and other parties to conflict must rally in great numbers to put an end to those practices. The current political environment has sore need of impartial organizations that conduct strictly humanitarian activities. Members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are committed to standing by people in need during armed conflict and other situations of violence.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“This framework involved broad consultations with over 50 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on how best to identify and meet the challenges they face in ensuring operational access and acceptance at all times. The aim of this initiative is to increase the ability of National Societies to deliver assistance while at the same time reducing the risks facing staff and volunteers. Recent attacks on humanitarian organizations by both non-State entities and Government forces demonstrate that aid organizations are not always targeted because of faulty perceptions of their roles and responsibilities; sometimes such targeting is part of a carefully plotted political and military strategy.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“It has generated compelling information on the threats facing health-care workers, many of whom are humanitarian volunteers and staff. After studying some of the riskiest situations - such as crossing checkpoints, emergency evacuations and the deployment of troops next to health facilities - we have made recommendations to armed entities, lawmakers, health authorities, ambulance providers and many more. The ICRC and the World Health Organization will co-organize an event on health care and violence during the General Assembly session this fall, and we hope that many States, including the members of the Security Council, will be present to discuss this important subject. Another ICRC initiative I would briefly like to mention is what we call the Safer Access Framework.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Those entities must understand our objectives and the exclusively humanitarian purpose of our actions. At a more basic level, it is important to mention that security management requires humanitarian organizations to adopt professional standards and training in this area. Different organizations use different models. Some, such as those of the United Nations system, adopt a more centralized approach in which headquarters plays a significant role. Others, such as the ICRC, follow a more decentralized approach in which decision-making is mainly delegated to the field. No matter the model applied, what counts is a willingness to seek the best combination for improving the safety of humanitarian workers. I would like to mention here the Health Care in Danger initiative led by the ICRC over the past two and a half years.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Without those two things, humanitarian workers find it extremely difficult to safely reach people in need and provide impartial aid and protection. Acceptance depends on the ability of humanitarian organizations to engage with local communities and others. That means speaking with armed non-State actors about humanitarian law and principles and obtaining unambiguous and adequate security guarantees. Through extensive networking at all levels and through constant dialogue with all parties concerned, the International Committee of the Red Cross aims to ensure a safer working environment for its staff. That is our main strategy. We call it a threat- reduction strategy, and we implement it by dealing with local contacts who control the level of threat to which our operations are exposed.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Any attempt to exploit humanitarian aid, or to mix together humanitarian goals and political agendas, automatically increases the risk of being perceived with hostility and of creating dangers for humanitarian personnel on the ground. Looking at the majority of the crises today, what is missing is strong political will to protect humanitarian workers and to respect the principles according to which they operate, thus ensuring a separate scope for humanitarian action. That is imperative, whatever parallel efforts are under way to find political solutions to a conflict. Humanitarian action must not serve as a fig leaf for political inaction. That is a burden that humanitarian workers cannot be expected to shoulder. My third point is that security is intimately linked to acceptance.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“States and non-State actors must respect and protect humanitarian personnel, as well as objects used exclusively for humanitarian operations. That obligation, applicable in both international and non-international armed conflict, is absolute. Not only is this the unavoidable duty of the actual parties to the conflict, but all States have a collective responsibility to uphold that rule, as they do to ensure respect for humanitarian law as a whole. Secondly, the blurring of the line between military, political and humanitarian activities poses a real threat to humanitarian action and humanitarian workers. With their determination to work in close proximity to the people they are striving to help, humanitarian workers depend on being - and on being perceived to be - neutral and impartial.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Because of the risks involved, the number of organizations able, allowed or willing to work in conflict environments has shrunk dramatically over the past decade. That means that calls for humanitarian action are ever less likely to be answered. The negative perception that some individuals and groups have of humanitarian action - and the deliberate attacks against humanitarian workers that result - is a problem that the international community must address head-on. Solutions do indeed exist. Let me mention a few of the elementary points that must be accepted and acted on if humanitarian workers are to carry out their duties effectively and in safety. First and foremost, it is important to remind ourselves that protecting humanitarian workers in armed-conflict environments is an obligation under international humanitarian law.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“While conflicts may not necessarily be more violent than in the past, workers are more exposed. The fragmentation of armed groups - many of which have unclear command structures 4 the easy availability of small arms, the intertwining of a variety of motives and the outsourcing of security tasks to private military and security companies are all realities that have changed the environment in which we operate. The resurgence of religious fundamentalism and the spreading of terror and violence, fuelled or aided by new and far-reaching social media, have brought new figures to the fore, and they are redrafting the rules to fit their shifting agendas. As aresult ofsuch changes, what we euphemistically call security incidents have been multiplying.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“The equation is simple, but that simplicity conceals the most complex and difficult task facing humanitarian organizations working in violence-prone environments today. That task is to reach the people in need while guaranteeing the safety of the personnel of those organizations. No effective action is possible without allowing humanitarian personnel to go about their work and actively ensuring their safety. Working in armed conflict environments has always been dangerous, and always will be. Today, however, some of the inherent dangers are being exacerbated by the sheer number of high-risk combat zones in which organizations like ours are active. There have been dramatic changes, such as the security constraints under which humanitarian workers have to operate.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Mr. Maurer: I thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to address the Council during this crucial discussion. As President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), I represent 13,000 individuals, many of whom are working in volatile and dangerous environments. Their safety is a constant concern. As a leader of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, I am particularly aware of the terrible risks that hundreds of thousands of volunteers take to help people in need. Sadly, violence and threats of violence against humanitarian workers know no borders, colours or religion. They are wildly indiscriminate and affect us all, regardless of whether we work for the United Nations, the Red Cross or a local non-governmental organization. Humanitarian work is by definition dependent on those who do it: no workers, no aid.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“I suggest that we continue to hold regular exchanges of view between the Council and the Peacebuilding Commission in the coming months. Furthermore, it would be greatly appreciated if the Council were willing to consider consulting systematically with the Peacebuilding Commission in the preparation of Council documents regarding Burundi.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“It is an encouraging sign that the African Union appears willing to become involved. Following up on that issue will be a matter of priority for the country-specific configuration on Burundi. A third form of assistance is investing in long- term economic development. Donors are generally reluctant to become involved in development cooperation in post-conflict contexts, and international investors tend to hold back until situations are fully stabilized. That is understandable, but immediate assistance and investment would contribute greatly to further stabilizing Burundi. Another important role of the country-specific configuration on Burundi is therefore to encourage local entrepreneurship and international investment. I very much appreciate the Council's invitation to speak today.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“However, the Burundian authorities must remain fully committed to this process. In the same vein, it is essential that the international community not leave the people of Burundi to face their fate alone during this decisive phase. International support must be maintained. That support takes various forms. The first of these ways will be financial support for organizing the elections. In that regard, I regret that - as indicated by the Secretary- General in his report - of the total $43 million needed, only $2.7 million in funds is available as of now for the financing of the elections. Long-term electoral observation is a second form of support that the international community could provide. During my recent visit to Burundi, I noted a preference for electoral observation by regional and subregional entities.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“As Chair of the country-specific configuration on Burundi, I believe that one of the confrguration's priorities will be to closely monitor the security conditions in which the elections will be held and the implementation of the Government's zero-tolerance policy. Secondly, there are fears concerning the deterioration of trust between the opposition and the ruling party. Although a formal mechanism has been established, the ruling party is accused of being increasingly reluctant to engage in dialogue. It is crucial that all parties reach political consensus in their pursuit of power. That is the only way to successfully address the root causes of the conflict. In my opinion, encouraging such a dialogue must be another priority for the country-specific configuration on Burundi. There have been substantial achievements in peacebuilding.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“Many of the interlocutors I met during my most recent stay in Burundi mentioned instances of intimidation, limitations of civil rights, threats or even physical attacks. Many times, groups of youths were identified as the perpetrators of such acts. Under no circumstances should the political debate - no matter how lively it is - lead to violence. Despite the success of the Government's disarmament programme, too many small arms remain in circulation. All the political parties should commit themselves to participating peacefully in the election process and avoiding provocative acts.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“However, if the opposite happens, the peace process will be jeopardized, new wounds will be opened and the old ones will be more difficult to heal. It is therefore imperative that an environment conducive to free, fair and peaceful elections be created. The prospects for this are encouraging. The necessary legal framework is in place and the preparatory process is almost on track. In addition, the legitimacy of the Independent National Electoral Commission is broadly accepted. Its independence is indeed crucial to its ability to fulfil its role as a guarantor of free and fair elections. Finally, a promising start has been made on drawing up a national strategy for the socio-economic reintegration of vulnerable groups. However, significant challenges remain. First, there is still widespread fear of violence.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“I am also pleased to note the lively political debate and the professed willingness of all parties to resist the temptations of petty politicking. Indeed, party politics or individual political purposes must not be allowed to jeopardize fundamentals such as the elections and the integrity of the electoral process. Burundi is entering a crucial stage of peacebuilding. Elections will be held at all levels of government in 2010, and they will enable us to assess the progress achieved. If the elections are carried out in a free, fair and peaceful manner and lead to universally accepted results, the peace process will be made more durable. It will then become possible to focus even further on the underlying causes of conflict and poverty.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for the invitation to address the Council at today's meeting in my capacity as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission's country-specific configuration for Burundi. I would also thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2009/611), which addresses the pertinent aspects of peacebuilding in Burundi in a comprehensive and balanced way. Burundi has come a long way since the end of the civil war that ravaged the country for more than a decade. All the political actors recognize today that a return to arms is not an option, that it must be avoided at all costs and that it would destroy the country's hard-won opportunities to return the country to the path to sustainable development.”
2009-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6236 (2009) · source
“Such a report could take stock of challenges to peace, it could highlight the complementarity of mediation and conflict prevention, peacekeeping, operational activities for development for peacebuilding and it could also reflect on the reform processes in those fields. A report by the Secretary-General would provide a sound basis for adopting a new consensus on the Peacebuilding Commission at the highest political level at the high-level plenary meeting in September 2010. One or two high-level personalities could, following the model established with the Prodi report on the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union, give stature and authority to that kind of response and thus facilitate a clearer focus for our debate.”
2009-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6224 (2009) · source
“Finally, the 2010 review of the peacebuilding architecture is a good opportunity to take stock and reflect on ways to foster its potential in the new prevailing international environment. There are numerous initiatives under way, and we welcome them all. Nevertheless, we also believe that there is merit in conducting a more structured and inclusive dialogue between all stakeholders, and that the review process deserves authoritative guidance. We therefore call upon the Secretary-General to present, by the end of April 2010, a forward-looking report with specific recommendations.”
2009-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6224 (2009) · source
“Seventh, as an all-stakeholder forum, the Commission is well qualified to identify gaps, overcome blockages, muster resources and focus the spotlight of international attention on the process of peacebuilding. It has done well for the four countries on its agenda. However, we all know that there are more than those four situations where societies are struggling to avoid falling into armed conflict or trying to escape from it. We should ask ourselves these two questions: are we doing all we can do to make the best use of the United Nations peacebuilding instruments where peace can be built? And are those tools fit to be applied to all situations where peace is to be built?”
2009-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6224 (2009) · source
“While all peacebuilding situations are unique, in most of them the same key issues need to be addressed, such as security sector reform, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, job creation, return and reintegration of displaced persons and the future of restless young people. Six, aware that peace cannot be achieved unless all efforts concur to that end, the United Nations peacebuilding architecture was created for the purpose of overcoming institutional barriers between humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and peacekeeping activities. Those challenges remain. We still act too often in institutional silos within the United Nations, competing for scarce human and financial resources. We must increase efforts to build bridges.”
2009-11-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6224 (2009) · source