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

“The Secretary-General's latest report paints a positive picture of progress over the past year, with the security situation more calm and stable and the country more prosperous than at any time since independence. The impressive commitment to democratic and constitutional norms across the political spectrum and the willingness to put long-term interests ahead of short-term gains bode well for next year's elections. Steady progress has been made in strengthening the justice and corrections sectors and the various institutions responsible for ensuring Government accountability and respect for human rights. Strong economic growth, together with targeted social programmes, has delivered progress in addressing key socio-economic challenges. All of this is cause for optimism. But we cannot be complacent.”
2011-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6485 (2011) · source
“Can I respond immediately by thanking you, Madame President, and Prime Minister Gusmao and others who have expressed their sympathy over the earthquake that occurred about 24 hours ago. Dawn is just now breaking in Christchurch and it will only be then that we can see the true extent of what is unquestionably a national tragedy. I thank you for your sympathy. I want to thank Prime Minister Gusmao and Special Representative Haq for their statements, and the Secretary-General for his report (S/2011/32). I want to acknowledge with deep respect the Prime Minister's lifetime of effort to provide Timorese with a path to a safer and more prosperous future, and in particular his leadership in nation-building over the past decade. It is an honour to have him join us today.”
2011-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6485 (2011) · source
“We call on others to also make similar concrete commitments, including on the needs of women with disabilities: commitments which, when combined with a more effective approach by the Council, will ensure full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). That, in turn, will mean that, as Governments come and go and as conflicts break out and abate, women and girls are protected and can fully participate in the promotion and maintenance of peace and security.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“But, like others, New Zealand can still do more, and it agrees that commitments are required to ensure the advancement of the 1325 agenda. We therefore commit to developing a national plan of action on resolution 1325 (2000). We commit to mainstreaming issues faced by women with disabilities in our implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We commit to increasing the number of women in the higher ranks of our Defence Force and becoming more effective in retaining women in the Force throughout their careers. And we commit to working with others in the Pacific - countries and civil society - to ensure that resolution 1325 (2000) is better implemented.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“As well as raising awareness of resolution 1325 (2000) in the Pacific, New Zealand's aid programme identifies women and girls as a priority group for attention, supports initiatives to mitigate the exposure of women and girls to violence and specifically includes the need to support the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). Elsewhere, New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan, Afghanistan, has several initiatives to ensure the full participation of women in our Provincial Reconstruction Team and in the Afghan National Security Forces which the Team supports. Likewise, in Timor-Leste, New Zealand is working with the National Police Force on projects to address high rates of gender-based violence.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Women constitute up to 30 per cent of New Zealand's contribution to United Nations and United Nations-mandated peace missions - among the highest rates in the world. The New Zealand Defence Force pursues a diversity strategy that values the full integration of women, including at senior levels. New Zealand's region is the Pacific, where women are playing critical roles in brokering and maintaining peace in places such as Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Timor-Leste. Despite their important role, however, women remain marginalized from formal negotiations, are seriously underrepresented in national decision-making processes and are still vulnerable to domestic violence.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Further, an effective leadership system within the Council could be developed to ensure that 1325 issues are regularly integrated into the Council's work. Given the churn of non-permanent members, that responsibility could be jointly shared by a permanent and a non-permanent Council member. Better integration of 1325 issues does not just feel or sound good: it makes practical sense. Involving women in peace processes, stopping sexual and gender-based violence and guaranteeing the protection of women's rights will better ensure a lasting peace, which will, in turn, improve the Council's ability to maintain international peace and security. Member States also have responsibilities for the implementation of 1325 (2000) nationally and within their regions.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Some still require development, but that is best achieved through implementation, tracking and continued close engagement with civil society. And, by themselves, the indicators are not enough; the information they yield must then be analysed and incorporated into the Council's work. Given its expertise, UN Women will be well placed to lead this analysis, but it must also be able to interact regularly and directly with the Security Council. Secondly, while there have been excellent policy developments on resolution 1325 (2000), they have rarely been translated into action on the ground. To ensure more action, the Security Council could better incorporate 1325 issues into its daily work, for example, when it discusses country situations, peacekeeping mandates or sanctions, or when it holds Arria Formula meetings.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand agrees with the Secretary-General's conclusion that the main factor impeding full implementation is the lack of a clearly framed, single, coordinated approach, complemented by meaningful indicators to track progress. There are many concrete ways to develop such a framework. In addition to those already mentioned by the Minister of International Cooperation of Canada on behalf of the Friends of Women, Peace and Security, I will highlight just two that New Zealand considers particularly important. First, because implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is difficult to measure, we call on the Council to endorse and utilize the indicators outlined in the Secretary-General's report (S/2010/498).”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“For example, New Zealand strongly supported the establishment of UN Women, with Michelle Bachelet at its head, and we look to that organization to demonstrate leadership, including on this issue. The past 10 years have also demonstrated that much still needs to be done. Rape is still used as a tool of war, as was recently and horrifically demonstrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Women are still excluded from or not adequately represented in peace processes, their rights are curtailed and, all too often, they lack or are denied access to humanitarian and development assistance. Full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is needed to address those deficiencies.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand appreciates the opportunity to participate in and mark the anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and thanks those involved, particularly Uganda, for organizing this debate. Throughout those 10 years of conflict, peace, destruction, reconstruction and change, women and girls have been the most affected, although I think we would also say that in those 10 years there have also been some significant advances. Some women and girls have benefited from greater involvement in peace processes, greater representation in key decision- making positions and a stronger focus on the prevention of violence. There have been major institutional achievements.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand again assures the Council of its ongoing commitment to Timor-Leste, its people and its leaders, as well as to Ameerah Haq and to UNMIT, as they face this exciting and challenging transition. They all have our support.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“Bilateral partners will also have a role to play in the next phase of international assistance to Timor- Leste, and we urge those partners to work closely with the Timorese Government in that regard. As assistance shifts from security to other priorities, New Zealand is committed to aligning its support with Timor-Leste's national development priorities, including the Millennium Development Goals. New Zealand believes that the United Nations can be rightly proud of its contribution to Timor-Leste, but must now look to manage the transition in a manner that honours that contribution, and must plan for a post-UNMIT future where its support is focused on Timor-Leste's priorities and where the United Nations can best add value.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“Over the past year, there has been significant progress with key security sector reforms. The Government has approved new defence and security laws; a draft national security policy is now with the Council of Ministers; and there are signs of clearer demarcation of the roles of the PNTL and F-FDTL. With the Government having articulated its vision for the security sector, the focus of the Mission and other international partners should now shift to capacity-building, assistance and support. The United Nations is providing advisers in the defence and security administrations - assistance that will remain necessary for some time yet. But international personnel, in our View, should be working to make their presence unnecessary, rather than becoming entrenched in line positions.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“As this transition unfolds, it will be important that Mission planners retain flexibility to ensure that UNMIT adapts to the changing environment and that, once policing has been transferred, the PNTL is seen to be exercising the authority it has received with support and assistance from the Mission. New Zealand is playing its part in supporting the development of the PNTL. For some years, our police have successfully worked with their PNTL counterparts to build an understanding of community policing. Integrating police into their communities and building trust between communities and police are essential to building an effective modern police force - so much so that the Timorese Government has highlighted assistance on community policing as a priority on a bilateral basis.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“Its planning must be carefully coordinated with the PNTL and the donor community, and provision must be made for the long-term maintenance and use of transferred equipment. One practical contribution the United Nations could consider would be to train mechanics to maintain and repair motor vehicles. In fact, the United Nations should consider transferring the UNMIT transport and workshop facility in Dili to the PNTL. With the transfer of executive policing authority, the role, size and composition of United Nations police must also change, as must its relationship with the PNTL. Deploying experts will be crucial, so we urge the early deployment of the 19 additional civilian advisers who were approved in the most recent budget.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“In particular, we urge an early resolution to the status of uncertified officers who have been accused of serious crimes. New Zealand fully shares the Secretary- General's concerns in that regard. It is important that this be resolved, not only for transferring police authority, but also for maintaining the longer-term integrity, reputation and effectiveness of the PNTL. The requirement to build the operational capabilities of the PNTL in key areas is also important. This needs enhanced investment by the PNTL in developing those capabilities, and careful planning to ensure they are sustainable. The United Nations can make an important contribution here, particularly in deciding how to dispose of its assets during the drawdown process.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“We do not know exactly when that will be, but we do know that UNMIT and the International Stabilisation Force will be there to provide support through to the 2012 elections. Whether they have a role beyond that must be decided by the Government in consultation with the international community. It is vital that serious planning begin now to ensure a smooth transition and a withdrawal that does not negatively affect the security or economic situation. In this regard, completion of the transfer of executive policing authority to the PNTL will be crucial. Impressive progress has been made over the past year, with district-by-district handovers moving much more smoothly than was expected, but challenges remain, particularly in Dili. Significant issues remain to be resolved.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“We stress the importance of drawing in other international partners, in due course, to ensure the effective coordination of international support in this critical period. Transition management will be particularly crucial in the security sector. Over the past year, considerable progress has been made in building the capacity of the Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor- Leste (F-FDTL) and the PNTL, and in establishing the legislative, policy and operational frameworks for defence and security. We can now with some confidence envisage a time when Timor-Leste will be able to provide for its own security without a United Nations police or international security forces presence.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“We must ensure that the coming election consolidates the stable democratic political culture that has emerged in recent years, and that the institutions established to support effective public management and guard against corruption have sufficient resources and political support to execute their duties effectively and impartially. Timor-Leste will increasingly take the lead in addressing those challenges, with support from the international community. We need to give careful thought as to how best we can support those efforts. Planning for a post-UNMIT Timor-Leste must begin now, because UNMIT's mandate for 2011 must reflect key aspects of the transition. We are therefore pleased that discussions have begun with the Government for the joint management of that transition, including the establishment of a high-level steering group.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“Double-digit growth has continued, enabling progress in addressing poverty, and there have been further advances in building the capacity and effectiveness of core State institutions. We now see an increasingly confident country determined to chart its own future course. That is nowhere more evident than in the drafting of the National Strategic Development Plan, which includes a programme of nation-wide consultations personally led by the Prime Minister. All of that is cause for optimism, but over the next 18 months we must preserve those gains and deliver further progress in key areas.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“The choices and investments that are made over the next 18 months will determine whether the nation-building of recent years will be sustained and have an impact on Timor-Leste's future political, economic and international outlook. In short, the coming 18 months present a challenge to which we must collectively respond, and an opportunity that must not be squandered. The Secretary-General's report evidences the considerable progress of the past six months across all areas of the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). The security situation has remained calm, enabling a drawdown in the International Stabilisation Force. There has been real progress towards the full transfer of executive policing authority to the Policia Nacional de Timor- Leste (PNTL).”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“I thank Ambassador Borges and Special Representative Haq for their presentations, and the Secretary-General for his encouraging but balanced report (S/2010/522) on the situation in Timor-Leste. I also wish to convey New Zealand's condolences to the Government and people of Japan and to the family of former Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Kawakami on his untimely passing. On this occasion, I am accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Tim McIvor, New Zealand's Ambassador to Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste faces a critical period of transition from a situation of fragility and instability to one focused on long-term development and the challenges of the future.”
2010-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6405 (2010) · source
“New Zealand was encouraged when Pakistan backed the reconciliation process in January, and we welcomed the Pakistan-Afghan declaration on bilateral cooperation in June. Pakistan obviously has an interest in a stable State on its western border, so we look forward to its closer, positive engagement with Afghanistan. Cooperation on essential matters such as border control, trade, policing drug trafficking and combating the insurgency will be essential to help ensure a better future for the region. Next year will be the high-water mark of international military involvement, with around 150,000 troops from nearly 50 contributing countries in Afghanistan. New Zealand soldiers were among the first to join the campaign against terrorism nearly ten years ago, and today we continue to stand with the people of Afghanistan as they grow as a nation.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“Compromises will be required on all sides, but New Zealand would be alarmed if this process saw the return of the very people who were ousted nine years ago and would be dismayed if a political settlement included official tolerance of repression of women and minorities. We and others have not put our people in harm's way in support of such outcomes. We will continue to watch for the longer-term outcomes of the Peace Jirga hosted by President Karzai in June. The establishment by the President of the High Peace Council this month is a promising start, but we do need to see results. Afghanistan's neighbours also have an important role to play in achieving a political solution.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“In Bamyan, New Zealand works on the basis that capable, credible governance remains critical to effective development. We have increased development spending, appointed a development adviser and put the Provincial Reconstruction Team under civilian leadership for the first time. We have appointed our first Ambassador resident in Kabul. This is consistent with international efforts to balance military and civilian contributions and with Bamyan's transition to Afghan leadership across all areas of security, governance and development. By itself, fighting will not secure Afghanistan's future; only a political solution can bring lasting peace. That solution must further isolate hard-core insurgency leaders and encourage the majority back into mainstream society.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“Corruption remains a central obstacle to Afghanistan's progress, and it must be relentlessly addressed. Corruption is corrosive; it destroys capacity; it undermines public and international confidence. We look to the Afghan Government to make better progress on addressing corruption and governance issues. That will ensure that with the support of the international community, Afghanistan will increasingly be able to stand on its own. The new parliament has an important role to play in ensuring confidence in central government and ensuring that the central Government is connected to the provinces, so that together, central and provincial governments can form a cohesive whole. We specifically encourage the parliament to find ways to break the nine-month deadlock that has prevented President Karzai from completing his cabinet.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“We commend efforts to build the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces, and are particularly pleased to see numbers increasing ahead of target. We welcome the increase of nearly 40,000 ISAF troops, and also President Karzai's commitment at the Kabul Conference that Afghan National Security Forces will have nationwide, lead responsibility for security by the end of 2014. We will help to facilitate and support that process in Bamyan Province. Better security will increase opportunities for improved governance, social programmes and economic development. But the benefits of improved governance must be evenly distributed, and they must be sustainable. And they must withstand the scrutiny of those who provide the support and the funding.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“President Karzai's commitments made at the London Conference in January and the programme of action endorsed in Kabul in July are benchmarks against which Afghanistan's progress will be measured. We accept that the security backdrop makes progress very difficult. The elections were held during one of Afghanistan's most violent periods since the Taliban was driven from power. Violence has affected Afghans, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Indeed, for ISAF, 2010 has been the worst year of the war with, so far, more than 530 deaths, including New Zealand's first combat fatality. Although the security situation remains tenuous, we do see welcome signs of improvement.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“We cannot and we do not hold Afghanistan to the measure of long-standing, mature democracies, but we are disappointed that, in some areas, the elections could not be conducted because of security concerns and we are concerned at reports of widespread voter fraud. We encourage the Independent Electoral and Election Complaints Commissions to maintain rigorous oversight of the election process and, more specifically, to deal with the reports of fraud, thereby ensuring that the new Parliament better reflects the will of the people and works on their behalf. Along with other international partners, New Zealand is committed to help Afghanistan take the lead on security, governance, and economic and social development.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“New Zealand appreciates the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and thanks the Secretary-General for his latest report (S/2010/463). We acknowledge and welcome the presence of the Afghan Foreign Minister Rassoul and Special Representative Staffan de Mistura and thank him particularly for his extended briefing to the Council. I will focus on four issues from the Secretary- General's report: elections, the security situation, governance, and the need for a political solution. Final results are still some weeks away, but one outcome of the elections held on 18 September is already very clear: millions of determined Afghans showed courage and determination and defied threats of violence to elect their Parliament. We congratulate those who voted. They are entitled to see that same resolve mirrored in all levels of their society.”
2010-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6394 (2010) · source
“We hope that the implementation of such measures will lead to the de-listing of the ANP, and we encourage the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNICEF and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to work closely with the ANP to implement those measures. Those children in the deserts, jungles and forests of whom I spoke and who, as we speak, are being forced to fight, are being raped, maimed or even murdered are the children that we must think of during this debate. It is our collective duty to protect them.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“All of this contributes to building a safe environment where parents and children see options for their future beyond the perpetuation of conflict. I note that, because of insufficient age determination procedures, the Afghan National Police (ANP) is listed in annex I of the Secretary-General's report. New Zealand welcomes the fact that the ANP already has measures in place to verify the minimum age of recruits, and we encourage its ongoing commitment, as outlined in the Secretary-General's report, to additional measures to verify the age of recruits, as the Afghan National Army has already done.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“There are others, and the ongoing and systematic commitment of the Security Council, Member States, the United Nations and its organs is required to ensure overall action and compliance. In addressing this matter, we should also keep in mind that one of the most effective ways of ensuring the well-being of children is to protect their parents, and that requires the ongoing action of States to protect civilians in armed conflicts, especially women. In that respect, New Zealand ensures a conflict- sensitive approach in its development assistance to the education and health sectors of fragile States, including human rights education; provides support for the elimination of gender-based violence; and works to foster sustainable and equitable economic development.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“One possible step could be for country task forces of the monitoring and reporting mechanism to improve the level of information in their reports on the motivations for and extent of attacks on schools. In his annual and country-specific reports, the Secretary- General could also detail effective strategies for the prevention of such attacks and to improve response and accountability. Another step could be the more concrete inclusion of child protection, including access to and the quality and political neutrality of education, in future Council outcomes on peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Eventually, the monitoring and reporting mechanism triggers could be expanded to include attacks on schools. Those are just four steps that could be taken to protect children.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Thirdly, New Zealand advocates the Security Council's taking a more active role to ensure that parties listed in the annexes of the Secretary-General's reports develop and execute action plans with clear timelines. The Council should ensure that any non-compliance with those plans is promptly dealt with, using the full range of tools at the disposal of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Fourthly, there has been a disturbing increase in the number of politically and ideologically motivated attacks on and threats to teachers, students and educational facilities. We call on the Security Council, in line with international law and its presidential statement of 29 April last year (S/PRST/2009/9), to take a more active role in bringing those violations to an end.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We encourage the Council to refer persistent violators to existing sanctions committees and to consider other targeted measures where no sanctions committee exists. Secondly, we urge those countries concerned to allow United Nations contact teams to meet with non-State armed groups to enable them to prepare action plans and carry out other protection measures. And we ask the Council to take a more active role to ensure that contact. We note, for example, that Government restrictions prevent the United Nations country team in Myanmar from contacting non-State armed groups. That greatly hinders its monitoring and verification activities and means that action plans cannot be concluded.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“First, while we welcome their highlighted listing in the Secretary-General's latest report (S/2010/ 181), it is distressing that there are still 16 parties that, in that context, have recruited, maimed, killed, raped or sexually violated children for at least five years. Those parties are ignoring international law, as well as Council resolutions, presidential statements and conclusions, and more needs to be done to hold them accountable. In line with the Secretary-General's recommendations, we encourage the Council to include the recruitment and use of children in the mandates of its sanctions committees; to ensure that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General is asked to brief those committees more regularly; and to prioritize persistent violators on its agenda.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Member States, the various organs of the United Nations and the Security Council all have a vital role to play in protecting such children, and there has been some progress on that. For example, New Zealand welcomes the efforts of those countries that have been de-listed from the annexes of the Secretary-General's report and of others that have committed to action plans. We also welcome the fact that child protection enjoys a high profile on the Council's agenda. However, while there has been progress, much remains to be done. In the interests of time, I will highlight just four recommendations that New Zealand considers important.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to contribute today. We thank the Secretary-General for his latest report (S/2010/181), Radhika Coomaraswamy for the outstanding role she continues to play as Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Mexico for its long and commendable history of promoting the issue of children in armed conflict, including by having convened today's debate. As we sit in the comfort of this Chamber, it is nearing 9 pm. in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 pm. in the Sudan and 3 am. in Myanmar. And as we speak, in such places and elsewhere, children are being handed guns and told to fight, suffering the vilest forms of sexual assault, abuse and rape, or are being disfigured, maimed or even murdered.”
2010-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6341Resumption1 (2010) · source
“As a next step, New Zealand looks forward to Japan, as Chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions, issuing a revised version of presidential note S/2006/507, and urges that it be accompanied by a concrete implementation plan, and we call for regular, 10-32436 annual or biannual debates, to assess that implementation. If the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security, it must have the support of the Member States from which it derives its authority. Those Member States - the 187 non-permanent members - deserve better transparency, they are entitled to better interaction and, above all, they seek a more effective Security Council. Such outcomes may be in the hands of the members of this Council, but they are in the interests of all Member States.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Such sharing could be part of wider efforts to revitalize the way the Council and its secretariat make use of modern information technology. Websites, such as that used by Slovakia during its Council tenure, and now by Security Council Report, are good current examples, but more systematic sharing through email and other modern media would be welcome. Finally, as France and others have pointed out, more effective discussions among Council members are desirable. New Zealand recalls that, during its most recent term on the Council, informal discussions were both interactive and strategic and allowed for substantive discussion and negotiation. Interactive engagement would improve Council effectiveness and collegiality and should be encouraged. Those are just five of the many changes that could improve this Council's working methods.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The informal interactive dialogue format used last year in discussions on Sri Lanka, and more recently on Chad, worked well. This format should become a standard Council tool for sustained interaction with non-members whose cooperation is sought by the Council. It would provide opportunities for prevention of conflict and better use of the Council's role as set out in Chapter VI of the Charter. However, while recognizing that such issues do often require private discussion, the Council also needs to remember the need to maintain a balance of transparency. Fourthly, New Zealand would like to see draft Council documents shared with non-members sooner and with more frequency, and believes that interested parties should have greater influence in the preparation of those documents.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“However, as the recent discussions on Chad demonstrated, key troop contributors are sometimes still unable to participate meaningfully in timely and sustained high-level consultations with Council members. To address this, New Zealand advocates the creative use of such Council meeting formats as informal interactive dialogues. As Council President during the Rwandan crisis in 1994, New Zealand organized regular informal meetings with troop-contributing countries. Our 10-32436 experience in that case and others convinces us that such informal meetings can allow very useful communication and that they should be used more regularly. And of course, they better reflect the spirit of our Charter. Thirdly, Member States with which the Council is dealing should also be able to participate meaningfully in high-level Council consultations.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In the interests of time, I will highlight just five proposals that New Zealand considers important. First, while we accept that, in line with rule 48 of the provisional rules of procedure, private consultations are sometimes necessary, overall we believe that Council meetings should be public whenever possible. Further, essential information should be shared at those meetings, and such meetings should be outcome-focused, lest the issues be diluted by a day's worth of bland statements from Council members and non-members alike. Secondly, thanks to the efforts of Japan, France, the United Kingdom and others, the Council's interactions with troop- and police-contributing countries have greatly improved.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Such a Council would at best be viewed as irrelevant; at worst, illegitimate. Furthermore, such is the overriding importance of the Security Council's role in maintaining global peace and security that its legitimacy bears directly on the very legitimacy of the United Nations itself. New Zealand believes that it is in everyone's interest to ensure that both the United Nations and its Security Council are credible, effective and strong. The presidential note in document S/2006/507 sets out over 60 concrete steps that might improve the Council's working methods and, in turn, its legitimacy. They are steps that, as Japan's concept paper (8/2010/165) makes clear, would increase the Council's transparency, its interaction with non-members and its efficiency.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Its permanent members are here by agreement of the international community, as embodied in the United Nations Charter. And the remaining members are elected to serve the 187 Member States that do not enjoy the privilege of permanently sitting in the Council Chamber, often behind closed doors. For those 187 - the overwhelming majority of the United Nations membership - this Council's working methods are vitally important. They affect our ability to understand and contribute to the Council's work and, in the end, like the Council's structure, directly affect the legitimacy of the Council itself. Over time, an opaque and insular Security Council will lose credibility and will not enjoy the support of the wider membership, and its role in maintaining international peace and security could diminish and perhaps, over time, even be usurped.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to contribute today and thanks the delegation of Japan, which has a long and commendable history of promoting reform of Security Council working methods, for convening this debate. New Zealand strongly believes that, in addition to any structural change, there needs to be wide-ranging reform of the Council's working methods. In that regard, New Zealand rejects outright the suggestion that the Council's working methods are a matter for the Council alone to decide. That is no more legitimate than arguing that citizens have no valid interest in the proceedings of their countries' courts or in the rules and procedures of the legislatures that they elect. The Council has the authority to make binding decisions.”
2010-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6300Resumption1 (2010) · source
“New Zealand fully respects the fact that it is the sovereign right of the Government and people of Afghanistan to decide how best to address these challenges and deliver those outcomes. But everyone with a stake in Afghanistan now knows that failure to act is not an option. The risks of such a failure are simply too high.”
2010-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6287 (2010) · source
“In Bamyan province, New Zealand has already committed to the progressive transfer of security responsibility from the New Zealand-led provincial reconstruction team (PRT) to Afghan authorities. We aim to have an ambassador on the ground in Kabul soon and to move leadership of the PRT to a civilian role, to ensure better support for coherent civilian and development assistance efforts. As many have said here today and elsewhere, this is a critical moment for Afghanistan. As always, time is short. That said, Afghanistan needs time and space to rebuild. New Zealand is committed to playing its part in providing those opportunities. But there must be measurable progress on all fronts, including governance, economic development and security, as all are interrelated.”
2010-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6287 (2010) · source