YouSaid · the spoken record

Mayr-Harting

lines on the record: 1,537
first: 2008-12-09
most recent: 2015-10-08
sittings or episodes: 180
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

“Besides its importance as a symbol of justice and accountability, it has also provided capacity-building opportunities to national professionals, who have gained skills in the field of the rule of law. From our point of view, it would be important to preserve and use those skills in Sierra Leone. To that end, incentives should be created to avoid a brain drain. I should like to conclude by noting that Austria is encouraged by the consistent trend towards respect for civil and political rights in Sierra Leone and by the initiatives of the Sierra Leone Government in favour of the promotion of the rights of women.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“The report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission contains not only an impartial historical record of the conflict in the country, but also far-reaching and comprehensive recommendations for addressing the root causes of the conflict and promoting reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as some speakers have already mentioned, also proposed a reparations programme, with particular emphasis on the needs of amputees, war-wounded and the Victims of sexual Violence. We call on the Government of Sierra Leone to intensify its efforts to systematically follow up and implement these very important recommendations. The Special Court made important progress in 2008 and plans to complete its activities by 2010.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“We believe that it is very important for this ratification process to continue and to be concluded successfully. I should also like to mention, as other speakers have done, the ECOWAS Action Plan against Drug Trafficking, which is another excellent example of successful regional cooperation. UNODC's input to the United Nations Joint Vision document forms a sound basis for a long-term, comprehensive and coordinated response to illicit drug trafficking and the serious threat that drug abuse poses to the economic and social integration of youth in Sierra Leone. Thirdly, we believe that two activities are crucial with regard to reconciliation: the follow-up to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the proceedings of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“In this context, I should also like to mention that the fight against youth unemployment was a major component of the resolution adopted at the end of the 2007 Ouagadougou Conference on Peace and Security in West Africa, organized by Burkina Faso and Austria. We continue to support the aforementioned UNIDO effort. Secondly, organized crime and related challenges such as drug trafficking, corruption and the proliferation of small arms must remain high on our agenda. As these problems have cross-border implications, as the representative of Costa Rica has just stated, we believe that they should be addressed through regional approaches. In this context, I should first of all like to commend Sierra Leone for having already ratified the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“Nonetheless, a number of challenges remain to be faced by Sierra Leone, the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) and the donor community. I would focus on three. First, if the strategy of the international donor community is to succeed, it is essential that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund gradually put more emphasis on poverty reduction. Sierra Leone's Agenda for Change reflects the major challenges in this regard, but good progress in economic performance could be jeopardized by the high level of youth unemployment. It is against this background that initiatives like the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project addressing youth unemployment in the Mano River region are of particular importance and need to be strengthened.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“Bringing together various branches of the United Nations family under one roof has very many advantages. Given the challenges that Sierra Leone faces in areas such as corruption and organized crime, we welcome in particular the direct inclusion of the expertise of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and we hope that the UNODC's contribution can be further enhanced. At the same time, cooperation with the work of the country-specific configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission on Sierra Leone, under the able leadership of Ambassador Frank Majoor of the Netherlands, is essential. Though peacebuilding as such has not yet been completed, we believe that the success achieved so far can again serve as an example for efforts of this kind in other countries of the region.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“First of all, Mr. President, I should like to congratulate you formally on your assumption of the presidency of the Council. I should also like to thank France for its chairmanship during the month of January. I should like to thank the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Michael von der Schulenburg, for his briefing. We have a long- standing and positive experience of cooperating with him, and we are impressed by the leadership that he has provided for the comprehensive and innovative approach the United Nations has chosen for its presence in Sierra Leone. Like others, we believe that the progressive movement of a peacekeeping effort towards a comprehensive peacebuilding and reconstruction effort can serve as a model for United Nations operations elsewhere.”
2009-02-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6080 (2009) · source
“In conclusion, we support and are very interested in follow-up to this debate and are prepared to actively contribute during our Security Council mandate.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“This could also play an important role for troop-contributing countries in preparing troops for such tasks, including by integrating those aspects into pre-deployment training. Austria supports a study commissioned by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that will examine those issues. We also support the idea of improving the assessment of current mission mandates, including in terms of strategic objectives and benchmarks. The lessons learned from a mission could be an important source of information for the Security Council in planning and following up on existing missions. That process should also be shared with and enriched by the troop-contributing countries.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“Austria firmly supports strengthening the mandates of peacekeeping operations in the area of civilian protection and recognizes the important role of such operations in the promotion of human rights, the protection of children affected by armed conflict, the strengthening of the rule of law and the role of women in peace processes and in supporting peace. In our view, an important challenge is the lack of instructions and guidelines for force commanders and troops on the ground for the specific implementation of their mandates. Such instructions and guidelines should be developed through close cooperation among the Security Council, the Secretariat and the troop- contributing countries, taking into account the review of existing missions and best practices.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“A more in-depth dialogue among existing structures within the Security Council and the Secretariat would allow for better integration of our collective political, financial and military expertise and also make it possible to ensure that the mandate of a peacekeeping operation reflects from the start its needs and challenges and those of the individuals who must be protected. Austria also welcomes in that context the idea of organizing, on a more regular basis, meetings among the Security Council, the Secretariat, commanders in the field and troop-contributing countries to discuss the implementation, progress and challenges of the various operations under way.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“Austria supports the idea of strengthening the expertise available to the Security Council and all of its members in the preparation of the Council's decisions on new peacekeeping missions. That is clearly true for military expertise and for the specific expertise that may prove necessary for action on such issues as the protection of civilians in conflict. We are also in favour of a temporary strengthening, if necessary, of the strategic capacity of the Secretariat to manage and oversee particularly complex operations. Moreover, Austria supports an interactive process in which the Secretariat, the Security Council and the troop-contributing countries would meet from the outset of the planning phase to the follow-up and assessment of missions under way.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“It goes without saying that we are following this work with great interest and that we are ready to participate actively in it and to share our relevant experience and expertise. Given the growth in peacekeeping operations and the fact that their mandates are becoming increasingly complex, cooperation with regional organizations will be more important than ever. Support for creating the expertise and capacity is necessary to allow those organizations to play a more important role. While the Security Council must not abandon its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the United Nations must strive to play a growing role as a bridging force until the regional organizations are able to take up the slack. That would also contribute to strengthening regional ownership of crisis management.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“At the same time, given the rapid growth in the number and size of missions, we are approaching the limits of available resources. Changes involving work methods and institutional changes in the planning, implementation, follow-up and assessment of peacekeeping operations will help us to address those issues more effectively. My delegation notes with great satisfaction that the Secretariat has launched a similar process to analyse key questions relating to future peacekeeping operations. Austria is a long-standing troop contributor in the framework of the United Nations and of regional structures, such as the European Union and the NATO Partnership for Peace. Since 1960, some 60,000 Austrian soldiers have served in peacekeeping operations under United Nations authority.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“I would like first to thank the Permanent Representative of Uganda for the excellent cooperation we had and I only regret that we did not have a chance to work longer together on the Council. (spoke in French) As for the issue being discussed today, I wish first to thank the Security Council presidency and the delegation of the United Kingdom for having taken the initiative on today's debate and for their efforts in preparing the debate. Like previous speakers, I wish to emphasize that the Brahimi report remains relevant as a basis for any discussion of the peacekeeping. Since its publication, many challenges remain the same, but new ones have emerged. We now face an unprecedented level of peacekeeping activities in often hostile contexts and with increasingly complex mandates.”
2009-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6075 (2009) · source
“At next week's Security Council debate on peacekeeping operations we will have a chance to discuss this issue in a broader context. We also strongly agree with the Under-Secretary- General's positive assessment of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signed by 95 States in December 2008. We join in his appeal to all States to sign and ratify that Convention as soon as possible. In closing, let me once again stress that the Council needs to continue and further intensify its work on the protection of those who are most vulnerable in conflict situations: civilians, particularly women and children. Austria will do everything it can to move this matter forward during its tenure on the Council.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“Important progress has already been made, as demonstrated, for example, by the new mandate of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in resolution 1856 (2008), which makes the protection of civilians the key priority for the Mission. The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) and the European Union military operation in Chad and the Central African Republic (EUFOR) may serve as a good example of peace operations in support of humanitarian activities. In that context, Austria attaches great importance to the Secretary-General's upcoming report on protection of civilians. Austria is also pleased to support the study commissioned by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and OCHA, which will serve as a basis for that review.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“We agree with the Under- Secretary-General that the incidents that have occurred should be investigated, and we are happy that the Secretary-General has made this one of the messages of his current trip to the region. We are also deeply concerned about conflict situations such as those in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur, in particular the deliberate targeting of civilians, including through the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of war aimed at destroying and dehumanizing entire communities. Austria strongly supports the strengthening of protection mandates in peacekeeping operations. We are aware of the challenges of peacekeeping operations in implementing ambitious mandates on the ground. We thank the Under-Secretary-General for his analysis as to the challenges in this regard.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“The Council has to send a clear message to all parties to armed conflicts reminding them of their obligations and condemning violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. With regard to the ongoing conflict in and around Gaza, Austria calls upon all parties to fully abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law. This includes the obligation by parties to an armed conflict to refrain from targeting civilians, to facilitate humanitarian operations and to allow rapid and unimpeded passage of relief consignments, equipment and personnel. One point that should be underlined particularly these days is that the protection of organizations and institutions providing humanitarian assistance, as well as humanitarian workers, must be ensured at all times.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“In a lessons-learned process, it should also enable the Council to address specific protection concerns in the establishment or renewal of peacekeeping mandates. The Security Council should further contribute to strengthening the rule of law and international law by supporting criminal justice mechanisms. Where necessary, the Council should consider appropriate measures to encourage or compel prosecution of those responsible for international crimes, including referrals to the International Criminal Court or other appropriate accountability mechanisms. This is particularly true for sexual and gender-based violence or serious violations of child rights. In this area an accountability mechanism similar to the one on recruitment and use of child soldiers under resolution 1612 (2005) should be considered.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“Those are developments in our debate that we welcome. The Secretary-General has rightly stated that the protection of civilians in armed conflict must remain an absolute priority. He called for more systematic attention to protection concerns in the daily deliberations of the Council. Austria therefore welcomes the revised aide-memoire on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and would like to commend the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for its excellent work, which represents a comprehensive tool of real practical relevance to the work of the Council. We further welcome the establishment of a Security Council expert group on the protection of civilians, which should permit the Council to receive detailed information from humanitarian, human rights and other experts.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“At the outset, let me thank you, Sir, for organizing this very important debate and Under-Secretary-General Holmes for his important and impressive presentation. It was impressive, if I may say so, in its general thrust and important in particular in what you said about ongoing conflict situations, such as that in Gaza and southern Israel. Austria associates itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of the Czech Republic on behalf of the European Union later in this meeting. I should like to make a number of specific points. First of all, we have seen an increasing focus on efforts to integrate protection concerns into peacekeeping mandates, increased efforts to fight impunity at the national and international levels, as well as the acceptance of the responsibility to protect.”
2009-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6066 (2009) · source
“We actively support the international efforts under way to make this possible. Another priority is the lasting and sustained opening of the border crossings so that we can come to 09-20414 grips with the ever more desperate humanitarian situation affecting the population in Gaza. Finally, like Mexico, Austria would draw the Council's attention to one point not explicitly mentioned in today's resolution but that is of key importance: the obligation of all parties to respect human rights law and humanitarian law. The developments of recent days and of today in particular have shown how important that is.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6063 (2009) · source
“Austria believes that there was an urgent need for this formal call by the Council for an immediate, permanent and fully respected ceasefire. We also believe that it was essential to preserve the unity of the Council regarding this important matter that is of concern to the entire world. We therefore are grateful for the efforts undertaken, in particular by the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Libya and the group of Arab countries represented here, which made this consensus possible. There must be an unconditional halt to all rocket attacks out of Gaza on Israel, as well as to all military action by Israel in Gaza. For this reason, Austria believes that today's decision must be followed up as rapidly as possible by the establishment of the guarantees and arrangements mentioned in today's resolution.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6063 (2009) · source
“Given the important, but in many cases underestimated, role of women in peacebuilding efforts for their communities, we also would be interested to hear what lessons UNHCR can share from the implementation of its gender policy and efforts to actively involve women in all aspects of its work. I wish to conclude by wishing the High Commissioner all success for his highly important work for the international community.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Finally, we agree with the High Commissioner on the importance of improving the participation of refugees and internally displaced persons in peace processes and negotiations. That is a particular challenge as far as IDPs are concerned. In that context, Austria also welcomes the initiative of the Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, Professor Walter Kalin, to develop, together with the Department of Political Affairs, a draft guide for mediators on integrating issues of internal displacement into peace processes and peace agreements.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“On the issue of post-conflict peacebuilding, we fully share UNHCR's view that the safe and voluntary return of displaced populations plays a crucial role in peacebuilding efforts and is a key component of durable peace. Peacebuilding activities should, therefore, take into consideration the specific needs of displaced populations and of their receiving communities. The advancement of regional protection programmes is particularly important, and capacity- building in the region of origin needs to be advanced. Austria highly appreciates and supports the intensive efforts of UNHCR to facilitate the voluntary return and reintegration of displaced persons. I would like to use this opportunity to ask the High Commissioner whether there are lessons to be learned from UNHCR's experiences in ensuring the sustainability of refugee returns.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“As regards the interplay between peacekeeping operations and humanitarian activities, Austria believes that it is worth highlighting the role of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad and the United Nations-mandated EU military operation in eastern Chad and the north-west Central African Republic. Their primary focus on increasing the security of Darfur refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is, in our view, a good example of how the work of the Council can contribute to the improvement of humanitarian situations. In today's very critical situation, it is also evident that the humanitarian aspect must be at the core of the deliberations of the Council on the situation in Gaza.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Incidentally, that is also a matter on which the European Union (EU) has invested quite some thought. The potential of climate change to aggravate the situation of vulnerable groups, notably women and children, and its nature as a major cause of migration and displacement make it an urgent concern. In that context, Austria wishes to draw attention to the activities of the Human Security Network in identifying the implications of climate change on human security. Austria welcomed the initiative to organize an open debate in the Security Council in April 2007 to examine the relationship among energy, security and climate change. That debate (see S/PV.5663 and S/PV.5663 (Resumption ])) highlighted the extent to which those issues are interrelated. The Council should therefore continue to keep the issue under review.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“In light of the rising number of uprooted persons, Austria attaches great importance to the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and would like to commend the High Commissioner for his leadership and for the organization's tireless efforts in recent years. In his analysis, the High Commissioner referred to an accumulation of adverse trends and causes of displacement, such as competition for scarce resources, poverty, conflict and climate change. Austria shares his concerns about those trends, which are leading to a growing number of people on the move. We have to ask ourselves how the Security Council can enhance its responses to those challenges. I wish to highlight particularly the impact of climate change and its implications for human security, and even for the security of States.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“At the outset, Sir, let me thank you for this possibility of an exchange with the High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres. We would like to welcome High Commissioner Guterres and thank him for his informative and thought-provoking briefing. Let me also add that we believe that more frequent and regular briefings by the High Commissioner to the Council, including country-specific briefings, would be extremely useful. The displacement of people across and within borders is an important element in most of the situations on the Council's agenda. That shows that there is a strong nexus between peace and security, on the one hand, and refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the other.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Our key challenge is to support States by providing technical assistance to strengthen their capacity to prevent, to protect their citizens from and to respond to, terrorist attacks. In this context, Austria calls on the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate to intensify their very important efforts in facilitating assistance, and on the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - which has so far provided technical assistance to more than 150 States - to further enhance its successful activities to develop the capacity of States. Let me say once again that Austria warmly welcomes this open debate and the adoption of a presidential statement today. That will send a strong message to the world that we all stand united to overcome the global threat of terrorism.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Combating the incitement of terrorist acts, radicalization and recruitment of terrorists, especially through the Internet, remains one of our key challenges. In that regard, we stress the need for full implementation of resolution 1624 (2005). Finally, we must further encourage active involvement of civil society, including the media, victims' organizations and the private sector in the fight against terrorism. Third, and finally, as was explicitly recognized in the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Strategy, capacity-building is a core element of the global counter-terrorism effort. Many States lack the legal and organizational framework to effectively combat terrorism.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source
“As recommended in that report, it is important that the Security Council be proactive in further improving fair and clear procedures to protect the rights of individuals affected by its decisions. My second point is that, in order to succeed, our counter-terrorism efforts require an integrated, balanced and multidimensional approach, covering a broad range of both hard and soft measures. For instance, it is essential to strengthen coordination and cooperation in combating crimes that are connected with terrorism, such as organized crime, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and the illicit arms trade. At the same time, we must redouble our efforts to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and promote a culture of peace, mutual respect and tolerance, including through dialogue among religions and civilizations.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source
“We welcome the steps taken by the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies in this regard, including the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, under the able chairmanship of Croatia, and its Executive Directorate in addressing human rights aspects of counter-terrorism in the context of resolution 1373 (2001), as well as the efforts of the sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), ably chaired by Belgium, and its Monitoring Team to strengthen the procedures for listing and de-listing individuals and entities, in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions. I would like to remind the Council of the report of Austrian initiative on the Security Council and the rule of law.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Effective counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals, but complementary and mutually reinforcing. On the one hand, the development of an effective and rule of law-based national system of law enforcement and criminal justice is an essential element in preventing terrorist acts and in bringing terrorists to justice. On the other hand, we all must ensure that any measures taken to combat terrorism comply with our obligations under international law, in particular human rights law, refugee law and international humanitarian law.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source
“At the outset, Austria would like to thank the Croatian presidency of the Security Council for this very timely and important initiative. We express our solidarity and deep sympathy with the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and their families. These heinous attacks amply demonstrate the need for a multilateral approach and confirm the pivotal role of the United Nations at the centre of our joint counter-terrorism efforts, as was stressed this morning by the Secretary-General in his statement. Austria aligns itself with the statement of the French presidency on behalf of the European Union. I will thus limit my intervention to highlighting three points to which Austria attaches particular importance. First, respect for human rights and the rule of law is a fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism.”
2008-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6034Resumption1 (2008) · source