YouSaid · the spoken record

Mclay

lines on the record: 508
first: 2009-06-30
most recent: 2015-04-23
sittings or episodes: 72
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

“Many United Nations Members are concerned that the Security Council fails to achieve optimum outcomes because it does not give due weight to the mechanisms available under Chapter VI of the Charter - a point also made by you, Mr. President. Mediation, conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes are not only efficient in that they are much less expensive than costly peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations, but many of us also believe that they deliver more sustainable outcomes over the longer term. But again, the Council's working methods are not well adapted to Chapter VI.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“For example, much ofthe Council's work is focused on Africa, and yet the quality of the Council's interaction with the African Union's Peace and Security Council is still much less than it could be and is certainly still much less than it should be. There is a general need for effective interaction with regional organizations, but, given the number of African issues on the Council's agenda, that need is particularly acute with respect to the Peace and Security Council. We echo the comments in that regard by South Africa and others because, despite the excellent work of South Africa and other African Council members, there is still much work to be done. Resolution 2033 (2012) was only achieved after several years of effort. It was an important step, but its implementation is now critical and will require innovative Council working methods.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“New Zealand thanks India and you, Sir, personally for convening this debate and for the concept note (S/2012/853, annex), and we compliment the Ambassador for Portugal on his presentation. This is an important debate. It is vital that the Council be both efficient and effective in discharging its responsibilities on our behalf, and to do that the Council must be alert to opportunities to improve its processes. We accept that most improvements to Council working methods will be incremental and that individual cases will often steer the nature and pace of reform. But it is also true that this Council has often been slow to adapt to the changing nature of the issues it must address.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“to more effectively control Somalia's coastal waters and building the longer-term capacity of Somali authorities to police those waters themselves. The past decade has revealed both the grave threat piracy continues to pose in today's globalized world and how it can be countered through concerted regional and international action. But there is still much more that can and must be done to counter piracy wherever it occurs and to address the conditions on which it thrives. New Zealand stands ready to continue to play its part in all of that.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The international community has much to learn from its long neglect of the Somali crisis, and that same international community must know that conditions conducive to piracy will remain until peace, security and the rule of law have been restored and Somalis are given the opportunity for genuine, domestically based social and economic development. New Zealand welcomes recent international initiatives, such as the ongoing efforts of the African Union, through the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to support Somali partners in re-establishing effective sovereignty in Somalia. We call on the Council and on international partners to effectively support those efforts, including by assisting AMISOM.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The experience of Somalia also makes clear that security solutions alone are not sufficient to solve this multidimensional problem. Indeed, even 2,000 years ago, when Pompey swept the Mediterranean clean of pirates, it was recognized that the ultimate solution lay in providing better alternative sources of income and other forms of employment. Piracy cannot be tackled effectively, much less prevented, without due consideration of the factors that give birth to it and feed it. There is no doubt that, in Somalia, two decades without a functioning State; two decades without any effective rule of law; and more than two decades of ruthless, often illegal exploitation of its resources by external actors all helped lead former Somali fishermen to lives of piracy.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We echo Tanzania's call for a sustainable solution to this legal dilemma, both for Somalia and for future, similar situations. Somalia's example contrasts starkly with that of the Gulf of Guinea, where piracy incidents have increased exponentially over the past year. So far, piracy in that region has attracted less attention and has been less disruptive to shipping than it has been in the Gulf of Aden. Even so, we hope that the same level of international solidarity and support shown to Somalia and its neighbours can be extended to the Gulf of Guinea before that situation worsens any further. We must all stand ready to respond vigorously to piracy wherever it occurs and whenever assistance is sought by affected countries. There is no alternative. Piracy thrives whenever the will and the means to prevent it wavers.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Moreover, we have yet to tackle seriously the challenges outlined in the Secretary-General's report (S/2012/783) on accountability for piracy, particularly by establishing specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia and neighbouring countries. The detention, prosecution and imprisonment of pirates in the absence of an effective nationaljudicial system all raise complex legal and jurisdictional issues, although we should not forget what we have already agreed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides a very solid foundation on which to build. We commend countries such as Kenya, Yemen, India, Tanzania, Seychelles and others that have already assumed heavy burdens on this, and those others that have offered assistance.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Last year, off the coast of Somalia, New Zealand contributed the Force Commander and other staff officers to Combined Task Force 151, and, more recently, provided key personnel to assist Combined Task Force 150's counter-terrorism and security efforts. But even though we are definitely going in the right direction, and recent gains notwithstanding, it is clear that the task of ending piracy off Somalia is far from complete and that sustained international effort is still required to counter this international menace and assist its victims. For example, despite the reduced incidence of attacks, many captured crews are still being held for ransom, including many, I believe, from your country, Mr. President.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“That results from robust international efforts and shows what can be achieved with a comprehensive, adequately resourced regional strategy involving all affected parties within the region and beyond. Let us be blunt. Those results also show that pirates do not want to die in a firefight. They seek easy pickings and will be deterred only by force, by the rule oflaw and by building societies that give better opportunities than those offered by crime. In that regard, we particularly commend the efforts of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. New Zealand is a small, maritime trading nation. For us, free and secure navigation is of fundamental importance, and so we have been willing to play a role in counter-piracy activities.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Today's debate is therefore a very timely opportunity to reflect on what we have learned about effective ways to prevent and combat the modern version of this ancient scourge, and about the further action that is still required of the international community. In some parts of the world, efforts to tackle international piracy are starting to bear fruit. We welcome in particular the significant drop in reported piracy off the coast of Somalia and elsewhere over the past year. The International Maritime Bureau reported 219 cases of pirates trying to board vessels in 2010 and 236 in 2011, but this year just 71. Successful seizures are down from 49 in 2010 to 28 in 2011 and only 13 this year.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The threat posed by maritime piracy is as old as maritime commerce. Indeed, it is as old as civilization. The earliest histories from ancient Egypt, around 1300 BCE, talk of the difficulties caused by stateless pirates. For millennia, piracy has been a profitable - if illegal and dangerous - occupation in settings beyond the effective rule of law, jeopardizing trade and the lives of legitimate seafarers. It also fuels crime on land, such as slavery and the drug trade. Sadly, one of New Zealand's most distinguished sons, the yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, died at the hands of pirates. In today's world, maritime piracy is a significant challenge in places as far apart as the Gulfs of Aden and Guinea, the Straits of Malacca and the South American coast. The estimated cost to the shipping industry and Governments is around $7 billion each year.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We support efforts by both sides to develop the modalities for that more fully nuanced relationship. Finally, in what we expect to be the last meeting of the Council on the situation in Timor-Leste, I pay tribute to the United Nations personnel, from the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on down, and to the men and women from many nations who have worked over the past 13 years to provide Timor-Leste with a more peaceful and prosperous future. Above all, I pay tribute to the courage and determination of the people of Timor-Leste itself, which has carried that young country such an extraordinary distance since the dark and dramatic days of 1999. We truly wish the Minister's country well. We wish it well as it begins the next phase of its remarkable journey.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“In all of those endeavours, it will have the support of its many loyal friends, and New Zealand is just one of the friends. We will remain a reliable partner to Timor-Leste as it writes the next chapter in its history, through our $22 million bilateral development assistance programme. Over the next three years we will contribute to the construction of a stable, democratic and prosperous country by fostering private sector investment, strengthening the security and justice sectors, including through our recently launched bilateral community policing programme, and by supporting education and training. Support from the United Nations system will also be vital. The new Timorese Government has articulated what it regards as the most appropriate form, scope and focus for its post-UNMIT relationship with the United Nations.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“Above all, jobs are urgently needed for Timor-Leste's young and rapidly growing population, which will require support for an emerging vibrant sector in the non-oil economy. Recent gains in the areas of security and democratic governance must also be consolidated and extended. And further progress is needed so that all of the gains are anchored in strong and wise leadership, as well as in effective, resilient and sustainable institutions. Particular priority is needed to strengthen core institutions of the security and justice sectors, and among those responsible for Government oversight and accountability. The challenges are common to many countries and we believe that Timor-Leste has the vision and the determination to meet them successfully.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“As ofl November, leadership and responsibility for Timor-Leste's security is now in the hands of Timorese national police, supported by the nation's defence force. Given that both the United Nations police and the International Stabilisation Force have ceased their residual security roles, and that the reconstitution of the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste has now been fully certified, with UNMIT scheduled to withdraw by the end of the year, Timor-Leste will enter a new phase, including in terms of its relationship with the international community. As the Secretary-General noted in his report (S/2012/765), the process will entail many daunting challenges. Access to health and education services must be enhanced. Greater inroads are needed to counter malnutrition, and the benefits of development must be felt beyond Dili.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“Over the past four years, Timor-Leste has also enjoyed impressive levels of economic growth, which, together with careful stewardship of oil and gas revenues, has enabled progress in tackling poverty and laying foundations for a for a more prosperous future. Remarkable progress has been made in confronting other challenges, such as domestic violence and women's political empowerment. Overall, today Timor-Leste is more stable, more peaceful and more prosperous and its future appears brighter than at any other time in its history. Timor- Leste can take pride in those achievements. Its friends can also take pride and, indeed, the Council should take pride, in what has been achieved under its mandate.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“In 10 short years, we have seen Timor-Leste move from being conflict-ravaged to itself being a contributor to United Nations peace operations. We have watched as it has provided inspiration and voice for fragile States seeking more focused and accountable international assistance. The orderly conduct of this year's elections was a tribute to Timor-Leste's political maturity. It stands as a testament to what post-conflict countries can achieve through vision, leadership and determination. New Zealand is one of many countries that supported those efforts, most recently by sending election observers.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“The parents of a New Zealand soldier killed in Timor-Leste in 2000 established, in his honour, a charity to educate Timorese children - a charity that has changed more than 40 lives in just one village. Timor-Leste and its partners have encountered setbacks in this journey. But today we have the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate its many achievements. Great strides have been made since 1999 in healing the wounds of the independence struggle. Former combatants have been demobilized and reintegrated. Displaced populations have returned, and communities reconciled. Core Government institutions and conventions of democratic governance have been steadily built and consolidated. We also commend all of Timor-Leste's neighbours, most particularly Indonesia, for the readiness with which they have welcomed it into their regional community.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“In short, New Zealand was proud to be one of the first countries to commit to supporting the post- referendum transition to independence. Since then, we have been privileged to walk with the Timorese people on their journey out of conflict and fragility. We have gained a lot from that engagement ourselves. It has taught us about the nature and demands of complex peace operations and of post-conflict peacebuilding, not least in our own region. Opportunities to live, work and serve in Timor-Leste have enriched the lives of many of our people. Firm bonds have been forged between our peoples. I will give just one example, which is all the more touching as it is an example of triumph transcending tragedy.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“New Zealand participated in the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET), which was dispatched to Timor-Leste following that APEC Summit. We have played a significant role in every international force in the country since then, including, most recently, the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. Since 1999, more than 6,000 New Zealand military personnel have served there. Indeed, at INTERFET's peak in 2001, approximately half of New Zealand's land forces were involved in some way in servicing that deployment. That was in addition to the hundreds of police and civilian personnel from our diplomatic, overseas development, customs, corrections and other agencies who, over the past decade or so, have also contributed towards building this young country.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“In September 1999, Asia-Pacific leaders gathered in Auckland, New Zealand, for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. Less than two weeks earlier, the people of Timor-Leste had overwhelmingly chosen independence in a United Nations-supervised popular referendum, following which the territory was plunged into violent chaos. As the death toll mounted, APEC leaders discussed options for ending the violence, and, on 13 September, they agreed urgently to deploy an international peacekeeping force to stabilize the situation. So began a process that, three years later, saw Timor-Leste's emergence as an independent country. With this nation's birth playing out so dramatically on my own country's soil, so also began New Zealand's partnership with the Timorese people.”
2012-11-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6859 (2012) · source
“The Security Council should respect the fact that conventional judicial mechanisms are not the only credible ways of establishing accountability in post-conflict situations and, where appropriate, it should encourage the use of such mechanisms. For New Zealand, the establishment of the International Criminal Court was a most welcome development, and it has our strong, ongoing support. In this, the Court's tenth year, it is now clear that it is ahugely valuable resource for the international community in its efforts to deter, to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes, and to end impunity. But, as with all such resources, we must be careful in its application and wise in its use.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In particular, it should consider the willingness of the Council itself to ensure that indictees are brought to trial. The extent of cross-regional support for the decision might also be a factor. Finally, New Zealand also emphasizes that experience in criminal justice jurisdiction, whether national or international, shows that credible restorative justice processes can also help to promote accountability and build sustainable peace in societies emerging from conflict. We have seen this in your own country, Mr. President, with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, in South Africa and Sierra Leone with their truth and reconciliation commissions, in Rwanda with the gacaca tribunals, and, in places such as Timor-Leste, with even more nuanced individual solutions.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“There will be times when the ICC is not the best mechanism to be applied in a particular case. It is equally clear that even where it is the appropriate mechanism, the timing of its application needs to be very carefully judged, particularly in situations of ongoing conflict. It seems to us that, in the future, the Council will have to think very seriously about a number of questions, especially in situations where violent conflict is continuing. Issues for possible consideration include whether an ICC referral might be an incentive or a disincentive for a peace settlement, including whether there is a risk of prolonging the violence, resulting in yet more victims; and also the likelihood that any indictees can actually be brought to trial.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We join with Brazil and others that say that the Council should not use its powers under the Rome Statute to shield nationals of States that are not party to the Statute. The credibility of both the Security Council and the ICC will be damaged if referrals are perceived to be politicized or justice is seen to be discriminatory. In that regard, I reiterate New Zealand's call at last month's general debate (see A/67/PV.18) for the permanent members of the Council to agree voluntarily not to use their veto in situations involving mass atrocities. As I said earlier, New Zealand is a very strong supporter of the Court. However, the ICC is a court of last resort, with jurisdiction only where national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Council already has a Working Group on the Tribunals, and it needs to devote at least as much effort to the cases it has initiated with the ICC. Moreover, it should not encroach on the prerogative of the General Assembly to decide on funding for those situations that have been referred to the ICC. The Council already has a working group on the tribunals, and it should devote at least as much effort to those cases it has initiated with the ICC. Moreover, it should not encroach on the prerogative of the General Assembly to decide on funding for those situations that have been referred to the Court, and it should never refer a case to the ICC simply because of political outrage at an intractable problem, or because it has no other political strategy to deal with it.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Sadly, we know that, in the future, there will still be cases where the Security Council must again use its power under the Rome Statute to refer a case to the ICC. But we also firmly believe and hold the view that when the Council does make a referral to the ICC, it should do so with a clear commitment to follow through and ensure the Court receives the necessary cooperation. We endorse the statement of the representative of Liechtenstein on behalf of the former presidents of the Assembly of States Parties in that regard. Moreover, New Zealand believes that, where the Council has referred a matter to the ICC, it should also, and as a matter of course, establish a working group to monitor and follow up on that case.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“So it is not sufficient for the Security Council to focus only on politically pragmatic solutions; it must also systematically apply the justice and accountability mechanisms that are now available to it. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is now an important feature of that justice and accountability landscape, so it is very timely indeed to address the relationship between the Council and the International Criminal Court. During its most recent term on the Security Council, New Zealand played important roles in the establishment of the first two international criminal tribunals, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and we have been a very strong supporter of the ICC since the idea of a permanent tribunal was first mooted.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening today's debate. We know how important the issues we are discussing today are for your country. Guatemala has faced the awful realities of conflict and the difficult challenges of post- conflict accountability, and you personally, have been at the forefront of the fight against impunity. The Security Council is a political body, charged with maintaining international peace and security. But one of the most important lessons of the past two decades is that peace can neither be achieved in the absence ofjustice, nor sustained in the absence of justice. When communities, even whole countries, are subjected to horrendous war crimes against innocent civilians, any subsequent peace will be very difficult to sustain unless the perpetrators of those crimes are held accountable.”
2012-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6849Resumption1 (2012) · source
“But, so long as thousands of children remain subject to the horrors of armed conflict, we will not rest, and we will do all we can to push forward this agenda in all its aspects, and, hopefully, with even more favourable outcomes. We cannot hear that particular plea from the mouths of, to use the biblical phrase, babes and sucklings. So we, the peoples of the United Nations, must make that plea on their behalf.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We encourage greater support and assistance to national judicial mechanisms to prevent impunity for perpetrators of those grave crimes. We particularly urge that priority be given to providing international assistance for capacity-building in national judicial systems. Moreover, where national judicial mechanisms are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute, we see a clear role for international criminal tribunals and for the International Criminal Court. In that regard, we welcome the recent outcomes of the Taylor and Lubanga proceedings, both of which made significant advances in the fight against impunity for war crimes committed against children. They are, as Belgium described them, landmark decisions. Above all, we recognize and commend the gains and successes made in the children and armed conflict agenda.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In situations that are already subject to sanctions, political will is required to address the specific issue of child protection. Situations that are not currently subject to sanctions require a degree of innovation in the Council's working methods. We urge that political will and that innovation. We also call for greater use of child protection experts in sanctions committees' groups of experts. We commend the sanctions committees on Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and the Sudan for including designation criteria on grave Violations against children. Finally, accountability is essential, particularly in respect of breaches that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Secondly, we wish to see greater mainstreaming of the children and armed conflict agenda, with its issues being considered across all areas of the Council's work, including all relevant mandates of United Nations peacekeeping, political and peacebuilding missions, and also by deploying child protection advisers in accordance with the child protection policy of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. New Zealand regards the protection of children as fundamental to the maintenance of peace and security, which means that it must be factored into all relevant decisions across the Council's agenda. Thirdly, greater use of sanctions, or just the threat thereof, should be a useful tool in meaningfully addressing the most serious abuses of children, particularly those committed by persistent perpetrators.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“First, it is clear that, over the past year, specialized offices and reporting mechanisms continued to perform essential functions. Through that reporting, the Secretary-General has recounted appalling situations requiring the urgent attention of the United Nations and its Member States. His report also identifies some of the successes in protecting children, and we commend those achievements. So, we say quite unequivocally that specialized reporting with all its disclosures must continue.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“A very clear majority of United Nations Member States abhor the use and abuse of children in armed conflict, so we see today's debate as a very important opportunity for those countries to demonstrate their political will that the matter be aggressively addressed by the Council as part of its role in maintaining peace and security. Children - innocent children - must be protected and must receive particular attention from the Council. Likewise, we welcome thematic resolutions on children and armed conflict as an important signal that the Council will tackle the issue. New Zealand is a member of the Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict and endorses all the comments made by the representative of Canada on behalf of the Group. I will not repeat what was said, but I will make a comment on just four matters very briefly.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We join Belgium, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and many others in urging all States to support all aspects of her mandate without let or hindrance, without qualification. We join Kenya and others in paying tribute to the courage, professionalism, and, in the light of some recent comments, I underline the word professionalism, leadership and Vision of the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflicts, Radhika Coomaraswamy, whose unwavering efforts demonstrated the importance of a continuing mandate for addressing abuses of children in armed conflict.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We thank you, Sir, and your country, Germany, which holds the presidency of the Council this month, for ensuring consideration of this issue, and indeed for the excellent work you have done as Chair of the Working Group on children and armed conflict. It is the second year in a row that you, Sir, have demonstrated leadership on this very important topic. New Zealand was very pleased to be a sponsor of resolution 2068 (2012), adopted today, which strengthens the Council's children and armed conflict agenda, and we applaud its passage, although we do regret the lack of unanimity. We welcome the appointment of Ms. Leila Zerrougui as the new Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. She brings outstanding credentials to her critically important task.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The New Zealand provincial reconstruction teams will then complete its work in Bamyan and withdraw before the end of 2013, thus modeling the full life cycle of the transition process, while also fulfilling our commitment to the people of Bamyan. We are, however, keenly aware that the many serious challenges still facing Afghanistan must not be understated or underplayed, We therefore confirm our commitment to continuing to work with Afghanistan, its international partners and the United Nations in meeting these challenges together.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We now hope that, at Tokyo, Afghanistan itself will be able to make its own commitments to ensuring that the international community can continue to invest in the country's future. We are pleased that Bamyan is on track to complete transition later this year. There will nonetheless continue to be a role for the New Zealand provincial reconstruction team in the months following the transition. That role will include the final stages of mentoring the provincial quick reaction force, securing the substantive completion of development projects, and supporting local authorities as they lead the province into its post-transition future.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We welcome the Ministry of Interior's national police plan, prioritizing community-based policing, strengthening crime detection and prevention, safeguarding human rights and combating violence against women and children. Recent experiences in Bamyan suggest that this work will be vital to ensuring local populations develop the necessary trust and respect for their police force. We also take this opportunity to recognize the United Nations important work in advocating for accountability mechanisms within the Afghan security forces. The forthcoming Tokyo conference will provide - as many others have noted - another opportunity for the international community to make different kinds of commitments to Afghanistan's long-term sustainability. Over the past decade, the international community has invested much in Afghanistan.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We will provide trainers to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy from 2013 and contribute financial support for the Afghan National Security Forces from 2015, targeted at rule-of-law initiatives in Bamyan province. We will also provide ongoing development assistance to Afghanistan, focused especially on Bamyan. The work to train and sustain the Afghan National Security Forces is vital. We are pleased that we will be able to continue contributing to that endeavour after the end of the ISAF mission. In that regard, we especially support the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, as it highlights the importance ofa distinct civilian role for the police.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We thank Under- Secretary-General Ladsous and Ambassadors Tanin and Fedotov for their briefings. Although we welcome recent developments in Afghanistan, which give room for cautious optimism, we remain mindful that it continues to face many serious challenges. For example, while there is an encouraging trend of fewer civilian casualties overall, we are particularly concerned by the increasing trend towards deliberately targeting civilians. Like others, we applaud the outcomes of last month's NATO-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Summit in Chicago, which highlighted the clear progress and reconfirmed the commitment of ISAF contributors to the transition strategy and to the future of Afghanistan. New Zealand continues to play its part.”
2012-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6793 (2012) · source
“We must ensure that countries and communities that find themselves on the front line of this struggle have the tools and the capacities that they need to do just that. More coordinated and integrated assistance has an important role to play in all of this, and New Zealand hopes that today's debate foreshadows a substantive and new step in that direction.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“While strengthening national border and law enforcement institutions is very important, they alone cannot stem the flow of illicit movements unless we contemporaneously address issues such as illicit financial flows and the factors that drive demand. Strengthened coordination of international policy and capacity-building is also required. We welcome recent steps in this direction, such as the establishment of a United Nations task force on transnational organized crime. The criminal networks behind most illicit international activity have had devastating impacts on many communities. Their ever-expanding reach, sophistication and resources make confronting them a formidable challenge, but they must be confronted.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Thirdly, the Security Council should ensure more coordinated assistance within its own areas of responsibility. It could, for example, ask the Secretary- General to include in his reports to the Council advice relating to illicit trafficking and movements, and integrate these aspects into mission mandates where they threaten peace and security. This is particularly important in peacebuilding situations, where transnational criminal activity can be an obstacle to sustainable peace. The Council could also instruct its own committees and bodies to coordinate their work with other international actors. Finally, we must view illicit trafficking and movements through a broader lens than just that of enhanced border controls. That point was well made this morning by the Ambassador of Costa Rica.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“That cooperation must focus on providing consistent advice and more coherent capacity-building support, in line with national priorities. Practical steps could include enhanced information-sharing and more coordinated risk and needs assessments and priority- setting, as well as strengthened cooperation with relevant bodies, such as INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization. Secondly, the United Nations should consider options for achieving more integrated delivery of assistance on the ground. International donors should support and respect national partners seeking to articulate their own priority needs. Regional organizations also have an important role to play in coordinating international assistance and aligning it with regional priorities. The United Nations should be making better use of such regional partnerships.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In June, building on our chairmanship of last year's meeting of governmental experts on small arms and light weapons, New Zealand will fund a workshop for our Caribbean Community partners on combating the illicit trade in firearms across borders, focusing particularly on maritime security issues, which have so far received insufficient attention within the United Nations. More integrated and coherent capacity-building would be in everyone's interests, particularly those of small developing States that have the greatest need. In that regard, we should like to stress four points. First, we should strengthen cooperation and coordination between United Nations agencies and with other international bodies that provide capacity- building.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We participate actively in the Trans-Pacific Network on Dismantling Transnational Illicit Networks, and in other regional initiatives of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. We contribute bilateral assistance to partners in South-East Asia. New Zealand and Australia have also partnered to fund the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime transnational 3 organized crime threat assessment for East Asia and the Pacific.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source
“And we have learned to look at those challenges through a broader lens, taking into account the drivers of demand for such activities and the links between different criminal activities. In the Pacific, national responses have been coordinated through the Pacific Islands Forum Regional Security Committee, and through regional groupings of border control and law enforcement officials. New Zealand also supports its Pacific Island neighbours through bilateral capacity-building programmes. In partnership with the Forum Secretariat, we bring Pacific law enforcement officials together in an annual working group on counter-terrorism, which this year will address the link between terrorism and transnational organized crime.”
2012-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6760Resumption1 (2012) · source