YouSaid · the spoken record

Mills

lines on the record: 739
first: 2018-05-17
most recent: 2023-05-03
sittings or episodes: 121
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

“I thank the High Representative for her briefing this morning. It continues to be essential that the Security Council receive these regular updates on chemical weapons in Syria and on the critical work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in that regard. Last week, the Security Council received the 101st report of the OPCW Director-General on Syria’s chemical weapons (see S/2022/181) — the 101st report — and yet, sadly, very little is new. This report, as well as the contents of the 23 February Technical Secretariat briefing to the CWC States parties in The Hague, continues to drive home a simple point — the Syrian regime has yet to meet its obligations under resolution 2118 (2013). We urge Syria to stop obstructing the work of the OPCW and to come into compliance with its obligations.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“The United States Agency for International Development has been airlifting and positioning relief supplies, which are especially needed to help older people, people with disabilities and those displaced from their homes face the winter weather. That is just the beginning, and much more is coming. We welcome the commitments and leadership of other nations aimed at ensuring that life-saving assistance reaches those most in need. No matter what happens next, we must do absolutely everything that we can to help the people of Ukraine.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“Finally, we are gravely concerned about the reports of damage to apartment buildings and schools, as well as significant infrastructure damage that has left hospitals and hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or water, while bridges and roads are damaged by shelling. It will be critical to ensure adherence to international humanitarian law, including obligations related to the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian agencies must be granted secure and full access to people in need of aid. Tomorrow, as we have heard, the United Nations will be launching a funding appeal, an appeal for this humanitarian crisis. For its part, the United States is already providing nearly $54 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“The World Food Programme is warning us that the food-security impact of Russia’s invasion will be felt far beyond Ukraine’s borders. The Black Sea basin is one of the world’s most important areas for grain and agricultural exports. Vulnerable people from Asia to Africa and the Middle East will face greater levels of food insecurity as supplies are disrupted, as we are already seeing. An estimated 283 million people in more than 80 countries are acutely food insecure or at high risk, and the conflict in Ukraine will only exacerbate situations already on the brink of starvation. That is yet another reason why hostilities must end now.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“The safety they are providing underscores our common humanity during an otherwise dark moment of war. I want to echo the calls of the United Nations Refugee Agency. We should help and welcome all those fleeing conflict, without regard to race or nationality. Refugees are refugees, regardless of race or creed. Of course, not everyone can or will choose to flee, and those who remain in Ukraine must be assured unobstructed protection and assistance. Four days into the invasion, our humanitarian partners have already identified cash, fuel constraints, volatile security conditions and logistical challenges as key operational constraints affecting all aid delivery in the country. We also need to be very concerned about the hunger that Russia’s invasion will cause.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“The Council just heard the latest displacement numbers, which have been rising by the hour in the last four days. First it was 50,000 fled. Then it was 150,000 fled. Now it is half a million people who have fled. That does not even include the hundreds of thousands displaced internally within Ukraine. Behind each of those numbers are real people caught in a humanitarian nightmare unfolding before our eyes. The truth is, no one knows where it will end, how many people will flee their homes, how many will need humanitarian assistance or how many will die. That is because we do not know when President Putin will end his war of choice against Ukraine. I want to thank the many countries and the people in the region who have opened their borders and homes to fleeing Ukrainians.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“I thank Mr. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, for their truly sobering briefings. I think they underscore what the Secretary-General has said, which is that this is a moment of great peril and great tragedy. I thank their agencies and their teams for answering the call to help Ukrainians in need during this dire hour. In a matter of days, Russia’s unprovoked and premeditated invasion has unleashed vast human suffering across Ukraine. We need to address the displacement and refugee crisis that we have just heard described. We need to address the food-security crisis. And we need to document and address all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8983 (2022) · source
“The report also notes the regime has yet to issue visas to the entire Declaration Assessment Team, delaying the holding of the twenty- fifth meeting between the Declaration Assessment Team and the regime by nine months and counting. In conclusion, we again call on Syria to comply with its obligations under resolution 2118 (2013), to cease obstructing the work of the OPCW and to end its continued assault on the Syrian people. And we call on our fellow Security Council members to stand united against Syria’s chemical-weapons use.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“Unfortunately, as the latest report of the OPCW Director-General (see S/2022/76) highlights, the strategy of systematic obstruction and obfuscation under the guise of cursory cooperation executed by the regime and its enablers continues to this day. In fact, it intensifies. The latest Director-General’s report notes that the Syrian regime continues to fail to turn over evidence to corroborate its claim that two chlorine cylinders related to the April 2018 chemical weapons attack in Douma were destroyed in a June 2021 attack and air strike. Neither has the regime provided any explanation why those chlorine cylinders were moved from their previous location to the site of the air strike, despite explicit instructions from the OPCW Technical Secretariat not to move or alter the containers without consent of the OPCW.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“The United States sees attempts by the Al-Assad regime and its allies to impugn the integrity and capability of the OPCW and its staff as part of a deliberate — and, frankly, desperate — campaign to distract us from the human tragedy the Al-Assad regime has caused and from the fact that it has flouted its obligations under both the Chemical Weapons Convention and resolution 2118 (2013). Indeed, the disinformation narratives issued by Russia are but a continuing disturbingly misguided effort to shield a regime that has used weapons of mass destruction against its people. But as we have said before, no amount of disinformation espoused by Syria or its Russian enablers can negate or diminish the credibility of the substantial body of evidence that has been presented to the Council by the OPCW.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“These reports describe careful interviews with dozens of witnesses who provided detailed and consistent accounts of the incidents — accounts that were subsequently corroborated by physical evidence and scientific analysis, including X-rays, mechanical engineering analysis, ballistics, metallurgy tests and meteorological modelling. The proficiency, impartiality, and thoroughness demonstrated in those reports dispels any misguided suggestions that the OPCW staff, be it the Fact-Finding Mission, the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team or the Investigation and Identification Team, somehow lack the professionalism, expertise or integrity to carry out credible work or are in any way biased towards a particular party to the conflict.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“In Marea, the Fact-Finding Mission concluded that sulfur mustard was used. This chemical was previously independently identified by the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism as having been used by ISIS a couple weeks prior, also in Marea. In Kafr Zeita, the Fact-Finding Mission concluded that a chlorine barrel bomb was used. Both the Joint Investigative Mechanism and the Investigation and Identification Team have attributed other aerial chlorine barrel bomb attacks to the Al-Assad regime, the only party to the Syrian conflict known to have access to air assets.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“Per its mandate, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission did not, in those two reports, identify the perpetrators of those chemical weapons attacks. This is a task that falls within the purview of the OPCW attribution mechanism, the Investigation and Identification Team. We expect that the Investigation and Identification Team will seize itself of this matter and carry out the follow-up attribution work with the same independence and professionalism that it, as well as the Fact-Finding Mission, have demonstrated throughout their mandates. In the meantime, however, based on the chemicals identified by the Fact-Finding Mission and previous incident reports from both the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism and the Investigation and Identification Team, we can infer who is responsible.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“I thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her briefing. Yet again, through reports by experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), we are presented, with more incontrovertible evidence that chemical weapons were used in Syria. Those reports are of course alarming. They capture the true human tragedy underlying those horrific acts. Many witnesses interviewed by OPCW experts were poisoned by direct exposure to chemical weapons; others were exposed while caring for the injured. It is difficult to comprehend the terror that they must have experienced — terror that the Al-Assad regime and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) clearly intended to cause by deploying those illegal and immoral weapons throughout the conflict.”
2022-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8982 (2022) · source
“During the upcoming comprehensive review and mandate renewal, we will prioritize the full implementation of States’ obligations under resolution 1540 (2004) by striving to improve the functionality and credibility of the Committee, empowering its Group of Experts and enhancing its support to assistance- and outreach-related activities. In conclusion, I want to note that we support the ambitious but achievable timeline that the 1540 Committee Chair has proposed to complete the comprehensive review, and we look forward to working with other Council members to conduct a successful review that informs the mandate renewal later this year.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8977 (2022) · source
“A meaningful, comprehensive review that brings together Member States and civil society — including international and regional organizations, industry and academia — is essential to ensuring that the 1540 Committee continues to meet the challenge of preventing non-State actors, including but not limited to terrorist groups, from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction or related goods and know-how. In that regard, we welcome the opportunity to engage these stakeholders through open sessions held in whatever format may be most feasible.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8977 (2022) · source
“In light of comments just made by the representative of the Russian Federation, I just want to make a few points for the record myself. First, the United States thanks Mexico for putting forward resolution 2622 (2022) to extend the mandate of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) and its Group of Experts. We believe that this technical extension will allow the Committee and the Group of Experts to continue their important work. The 1540 Committee is a powerful tool to help prevent the most dangerous weapons from falling into the hands of non-State actors. We support the continued work of the Committee and look forward to completing the comprehensive review and substantive mandate renewal later this year.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8977 (2022) · source
“We therefore want to take this opportunity to recall the critical importance of the parameters and principles of United Nations humanitarian assistance in Syria, which aim to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered in a principled manner based on need alone. We call on all actors to allow the United Nations and all humanitarian organizations to operate without interference in the service of the Syrian people.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“However, as we and the Secretary-General have often said, cross-line aid cannot match the scale of cross-border aid. The Council must therefore work together to ensure not only that Bab Al-Hawa remains open, but that all cross-border options are available to meet the pressing humanitarian needs. While the United States and other donors continue to support the humanitarian response in Syria, we must all remain vigilant about detecting any attempt by the Al-Assad regime and its cronies to manipulate humanitarian aid. The regime’s record on that, dating back to the start of the conflict, is clear and disgraceful.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“The situation in north- eastern Syria, which was already tragically bad before the closure of the Al-Yarubiyah crossing with Iraq, has become empirically worse since the Council failed to authorize its continued use. We commend all States that are providing coronavirus-disease-related assistance to Syria, including a recent major donation of vaccines from Italy, but in order to get the vaccines into arms faster, we need to expand humanitarian access. Continued cross-border and cross-line access remains essential. It is our collective responsibility to renew and expand the cross-border mechanism this summer. We support all modalities for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. That includes cross-line shipments, and we call on all parties to work constructively with the United Nations to facilitate cross-line deliveries.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“The removal of former ISIS leader Haji Abdullah from the battlefield demonstrates our steadfast commitment to denying ISIS any opportunity to reconstitute, retake and hold territory in Syria and Iraq. Thirdly, as detailed by the Assistant Secretary- General, the dire humanitarian situation in Syria confirms once again what the humanitarian assistance community and the Syrian people have been saying for years — not enough aid is getting to those who need it. And not only that, because according to the 2022 outlook of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the number of people in need in Syria is now higher than at any point in the 11-year conflict. The Syrian people do not have enough food, medicine, fuel, blankets or winter clothes.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“As we have heard in countless briefings, that issue affects almost every Syrian family, and the lack of action on the file underscores why nations should not be normalizing relations with a regime that locks up and forcibly disappears its own people. Secondly, the attack on the ISIS detention facility in Al-Hasakah in January is a stark reminder that ISIS remains a dangerous threat and that the global coalition to defeat ISIS must continue its efforts. We credit the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for taking swift action to spoil that attack and deny ISIS the reinforcements that it sought. The SDF sustained significant casualties in responding to that attack. We call on all Member States to take action to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate and prosecute, where appropriate, their nationals who remain in north-eastern Syria.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“We welcome the announcement of a new round of meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee and call on all parties to participate in good faith and adhere to the meeting format. We look forward to further discussion of the Special Envoy’s steps-for- steps approach. We hope that all Syrian parties, as well as other stakeholders, engage constructively on ways to advance all aspects of the political process. We remain deeply concerned about the lack of progress on releasing the thousands of people who have been arbitrarily detained and again call on the Al-Assad regime to undertake unilateral releases. We also urge the regime to provide information on the tens of thousands of missing persons.”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Assistant Secretary- General Msuya for their briefings and would like to welcome the Assistant Secretary-General, who is here for the first time. Their briefings are important because it is imperative that the Security Council continue to publicly discuss the ongoing political, humanitarian and security crises in Syria. Today I would like to focus on three aspects of the Syrian crisis — the need for progress on the stalled political track, the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and the imperative of expanding humanitarian access, including through the cross-border humanitarian mechanism. First, the United States reaffirms its strong support for Special Envoy Pedersen’s efforts to advance a political solution in Syria and fully implement resolution 2254 (2015).”
2022-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8978 (2022) · source
“We will also continue working with UNRWA in order to strengthen the Agency’s accountability, transparency and consistency with United Nations principles, including the principle of neutrality. I want to make clear that the United States is here and stands ready to support the parties in the pursuit of peace. The fundamental reality is that any solution must be agreed by the parties themselves. In that context, holding meetings for the sake of meetings is not going to help. But when the parties are ready to move forward, the United States will be here to support them. In the meantime, we value our close coordination with other members of the Quartet, and we will continue to strive to keep us all focused on tangible progress that brings us closer to a lasting peace.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8973 (2022) · source
“We urge all Member States to support those life-saving humanitarian efforts, in which civil society organizations have an important role to play. Similarly, we also strongly encourage States to join us in funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) so that it can continue to run schools and health services that support Palestinian families. Supportive statements by Governments for UNRWA are, frankly, too often not accompanied by financial contributions. At the same time, we invite Member States to join us in promoting efforts by UNRWA to strengthen the Agency’s efficiency, effectiveness and financial sustainability.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8973 (2022) · source
“We are particularly concerned about tensions and violence in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and throughout the West Bank. Let me be clear — all sides must refrain from unilateral actions in order to not heighten tensions and further undercut prospects for a negotiated two-State solution. Furthermore, when actions violate the law, the perpetrators — whether Israeli or Palestinian — should be held accountable. Thirdly, we need to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and for Palestinians, more broadly. In Gaza, the need for humanitarian relief, reconstruction and recovery remains acute, which is why the United States supports regular, predictable and sustained access to Gaza for humanitarian actors through the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8973 (2022) · source
“We were similarly encouraged by the 7 February visit of the Emirati Federal National Council delegation to the Israeli Knesset. Those visits demonstrate that good faith engagement can build confidence and can create a path to cooperation towards greater security, prosperity and dignity. In addition to those visits, we support the efforts by the signatories to the Abraham Accords to further their relationships through working groups and other initiatives in order to develop trade, cultural and people-to-people ties. Those deepening relations offer new opportunities for the people of the region. Secondly, notwithstanding this welcome progress between Israel and its Arab neighbours, we heard today that the situation on the ground in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza remains fragile.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8973 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing. We fully support his close engagement to work with all the parties and his continued efforts to foster dialogue. Today I would like to discuss three aspects of the situation: the progress supported by the Abraham Accords, the heightened tensions that we have heard about in Sheikh Jarrah and throughout the West Bank and the humanitarian support we can offer those in need. First, the United States remains committed to widening the circle of peace between Israel and its neighbours and deepening cooperation among the participants in the Abraham Accords. In that vein, we are encouraged by Israeli Prime Minister Bennet’s visit to Bahrain on 14 February and the warm welcome he received from Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.”
2022-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8973 (2022) · source
“It is a reminder that all Member States should continue to seek peace and avoid war and underscores that the Security Council, consistent with its role under the Charter, must continue to undertake actions that help prevent the outbreak of armed conflict and advance international peace and security.”
2022-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8972 (2022) · source
“We commend the Government of Kuwait for its commitment to the multilateral mechanism for resolving claims. When compensation payments were suspended owing to the circumstances in Iraq associated with the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, Kuwait demonstrated its trust in the United Nations to complete its work and showed generosity to its neighbour and the international community during a crisis. We credit Iraq for its consistent participation in the claims process under several Governments and through challenging times. Iraq’s fulfilment of its obligations marks a continuation of its meaningful collaboration with the United Nations system. In conclusion, while the UNCC’s completion of its work is a success, it is also a reminder that the impact of war extends for decades, even after the actual fighting may have ended.”
2022-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8972 (2022) · source
“In guiding the work of the UNCC, the Governing Council adopted every one of its decisions by consensus, demonstrating to all a commendable unity of purpose and a commitment to collaboration. That success would certainly not have been possible without the diligence and effectiveness of the staff of the Commission over the past 30 years. Their professionalism has built confidence in the compensation process and reaffirmed the ability of the United Nations to implement and run a complex programme. We commend them for their work. But perhaps most of all, we are grateful to the Governments of Kuwait and Iraq for the role that they have played in drawing to a close a sad chapter in history and charting a more positive and peaceful future for their region.”
2022-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8972 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank Ambassador Gaffey for his briefing. As it winds to a close, we can judge the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) as a successful mechanism for post-conflict management, made possible by the Security Council’s collective commitment to multilateralism and the maintenance of international peace and security. Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the Council came together to rectify the harm created by Saddam Hussein’s unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. It is with satisfaction that we voted today to adopt resolution 2621 (2022), which ends those Chapter VII measures concerning Iraq’s obligations to provide compensation for that harm.”
2022-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8972 (2022) · source
“We are cautiously encouraged by the ongoing discussions that we have heard about to address the SAFER oil tanker, and we reiterate our calls for the Houthis to allow a credible solution to proceed urgently in order to prevent an unimaginable and entirely avoidable humanitarian and environmental disaster. Finally, we thank the Panel of Experts on Yemen for its work shining a light on the darkest elements of this conflict. The panel’s findings are invaluable in helping the Council carry out its responsibilities.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“We should all be clear: imposing preconditions on meetings with the Special Envoy is completely unacceptable. An inclusive Yemeni-led political solution is the only way out of this tragic war and its resulting humanitarian catastrophe. Accountability for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law are also key to ensuring a durable peace for all Yemenis. As we all are aware, more than 20 million Yemenis need urgent humanitarian assistance. We discuss this conflict as 16 million Yemenis, including 7 million children, go without life’s basic necessities. We call on donors to provide urgently needed funding.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“We applaud the attempts made by Special Envoy Grundberg to develop a framework for peace, and we welcome his consultations with the parties and civil society on that framework. A return to talks is urgent, and we look to the United Nations to provide the parties with a path forward to peace on an urgent basis. Furthermore, we welcome the Special Envoy’s engagement with the parties and critically needed de-escalation proposals. We call on all parties to facilitate the Special Envoy’s timely and meaningful engagement with all relevant Yemeni groups and parties, including women, civil-society leaders and other marginalized groups. The Council should support the Special Envoy’s efforts and press the parties for full cooperation. We are concerned that the Houthis are refusing to receive the Special Envoy in Sana’a.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“The Houthis have made it clear that they seek to disrupt regional security, target civilian sites and disrupt maritime commerce. We must do more to counter such attacks with a unified voice, including by imposing tangible costs. The Houthis’ Ma’rib offensive, including repeated attacks that have killed and wounded civilians, has represented the most significant impediment to peace efforts. It is clear that the Houthi military offensive will only bring further suffering and worsen the humanitarian plight of the Yemeni people. It must end. We are witnessing a dangerous escalation in Yemen, and we call on all parties to de-escalate, to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including those related to the protection of all civilians, and to participate fully in an inclusive United Nations- led peace process.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“We are also concerned about the tragic loss of life following a Saudi-led coalition air strike that hit a migrant detention centre in Sa’ada in January, killing nearly 100 civilians. Despite the Council’s condemnation, the Houthis continue to detain our current and former Yemeni local staff, some of whom are now United Nations employees, and to control the compound formerly used by our Embassy. Further, the Houthis have barred detained United States staff from any contact with their families. We call for the immediate release of our Yemeni employees unharmed and for the Houthis to cease all threats against our employees and their families. The inescapable conclusion is that we have failed to demonstrate to the Houthis that there are consequences for that behaviour.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank our briefers — Special Envoy Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for their continued efforts. I thank our Albanian colleague, Ambassador Hoxha, for his report on the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014). We also welcome Major General Beary as he takes up his duties as the Head of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement. The United States joins others in strongly condemning Houthi attacks striking civilian sites across the region over the past month, including multiple attacks on both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia that killed innocent civilians. We stand united with our Saudi and Emirati partners and remain committed to helping them defend their territory and residents, which include tens of thousands of United States citizens.”
2022-02-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8966 (2022) · source
“We are grateful for the efforts of humanitarian organizations working in north-eastern Syria, but it is not enough for Council members to make expressions of gratitude. We have the power to do more to help. The Council can dramatically expand humanitarian assistance, including by reopening the Al-Yarubiyah border-crossing between north-eastern Syria and Iraq. If we were to take that step, Council members would restore the flow of critical supplies like medicine and coronavirus disease testing kits to a region in desperate need.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“Let me close by noting that the situation in north- eastern Syria is but one component of the broader crisis in Syria, which, as we all know, requires a political solution, in line with resolution 2254 (2015). This discussion could have occurred alongside either our discussion yesterday on the political file (see S/PV.8957) or discussion that just took place on the humanitarian situation (see S/PV.8953). The Council cannot discuss the situation in north-eastern Syria without considering the wider humanitarian needs in that region. Years of hostilities and an ongoing economic crisis have pushed thousands of families into poverty and displaced more than 650,000. Many are now dependent on international assistance for their survival.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“I would note that the United States Government and the Department of Defense did that in response to reporting by the media, the free and independent media that exist in the United States and something that, as an American citizen, I am quite proud to point to. Of course, I cannot point to that same press in Russia because there is no such free and independent press in Russia, and if such an air strike had occurred as the tragic result of a Russian military mistake, there would be no independent press to report on it, just as there is very little Russian opposition available to raise the issue if a press could report on it. That is an important thing to remember.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“In response to the Russian representative’s comments just now, which, unfortunately have turned this platform into a rhetoric-driven mass of disinformation and, frankly, lies about the United States role in Syria. Let me just say this — the United States is steadfastly committed to complying with our obligations under the law of armed conflict, including those obligations that address the protection of civilians. As a matter of policy, the United States routinely applies heightened targeting standards that are more protective of civilians than are required under the law of armed conflict. The Russian representative mentioned the tragic air strikes in Al-Baghuz, Syria, and the United States Department of Defense has initiated a review of those March 2019 air strikes.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“The United States is deeply grateful to Governments and communities across the world that have brought their nationals home. We stand ready to support any Member State that wishes to do the same. We also urge Member States to support the Global Framework for United Nations Support on Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq Third Country National Returnees. This framework is co-chaired by the United Nations Office of Counter- Terrorism and UNICEF and enables the entire United Nations to support Member States on individuals returning from Iraq and Syria. This framework combines human-rights-based, age-appropriate and gender-responsive approaches in order to address the different needs of women, men, girls and boys.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“We commend the work of the local authorities and humanitarian organizations that are providing urgent assistance, and we are committed to facilitating that response. United States armed forces are present in north- east Syria as part of the global coalition for the sole purpose of continuing the fight against ISIL. We are proud to work alongside local Syrian partners, and we honour the sacrifices they have made in this campaign. As ever, we encourage all States Members of the United Nations to act alongside us to ensure ISIL never again finds safe haven anywhere in the world. We also encourage all Member States to support the repatriation, rehabilitation, reintegration and prosecution, where appropriate, of their nationals currently in north-east Syria.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“That is why the global coalition has remained not only vigilant, but actively engaged, especially in north-east Syria. This recent ISIL attack underscores the threat that ISIL continues to pose in Syria, as well as the risks associated with holding ISIL detainees in makeshift facilities in the region indefinitely. The coalition is working to ensure that ISIL detainees who remain in north-east Syria are safely and humanely housed in accordance with international standards. We call on Member States to support this effort. Even prior to this attack, the existing facilities were insufficient, and the damage caused will only worsen the problem. We know that thousands of civilians fled areas near the facility and are seeking shelter elsewhere in the city.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov for his briefing. The United States remains deeply concerned about the situation in north-east Syria, and in particular the continued threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We welcome the reports that local forces have regained full control of the detention facility in Al-Hasakah and have captured all ISIL fighters. To be sure, enormous progress has been made in the fight against ISIL, thanks to the efforts of the global coalition. Stabilization initiatives and liberated communities have been critical in preventing the return of ISIL. But as we have consistently told the Security Council, ISIL is not yet defeated. The group has continued to launch brazen terrorist attacks with no regard for the safety of civilians or civilian infrastructure.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“As the United Nations Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria said earlier this month, the continued destruction of civilian infrastructure will only cause more civilian suffering. We urge the regime and its Russian backers to cease their attacks, particularly those impacting civilians, in this vulnerable region. Finally, there can be no lasting peace in Syria without accountability for the regime’s atrocities, some of which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States supports efforts to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of abuses committed in Syria. That work is critical to supporting justice and accountability efforts that will pave the way for a stable and enduring peace.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“We are alarmed by reports of repeated and continued attacks by the regime and its allies that are impacting health-care workers and medical facilities in Syria. Among the health-care professionals reportedly targeted are the workers who responded to the regime’s chemical-weapon attacks in eastern Ghouta, as well as those who are trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease. We call on all parties to cease attacks that affect health-care workers and medical facilities and demand accountability for those acts. We condemn the reported attacks by the Russian military in Idlib, particularly those affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the bombing on 2 January that damaged a water station near Idlib, which has cut off access to water for nearly a quarter of a million Syrians.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“We are disappointed with the unwillingness of the participants from the Al-Assad regime to make progress towards that end, including in the sixth round of negotiations. We remain deeply concerned about the tens of thousands of Syrians believed to have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared by the Al-Assad regime. We encourage Special Envoy Pedersen to focus on promoting a large-scale and unconditional release of detainees, in coordination with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the families of the missing and detained. We also ask him to do all he can to push the Al-Assad regime to provide information to families about the status of their missing and detained loved ones.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source