YouSaid · the spoken record

Mudallali

lines on the record

197

first

2018-01-25

most recent

2022-07-26

sittings or episodes

26

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

1. “In a month’s time, the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will be up for renewal. UNIFIL has been an indispensable force for stability in south Lebanon in partnership with the Lebanese army. We support the important role that UNIFIL plays in peace and security in the south of the country, and we hope that its mandate will be renewed without any changes. We also hope that the Council will extend UNIFIL’s support for the Lebanese army, especially in providing the Lebanese Armed Forces with provisions at this difficult time in Lebanon. We count on the support of the Council and its members.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

2. “Lebanon is proceeding with negotiations and is committed to finding a peaceful solution to the question of its maritime border, based on guaranteeing its national rights to its gas and oil resources. The good offices of the United States and the United Nations in its sponsorship and hosting of the talks have offered a peaceful path to a resolution of the issue through negotiation at a time that is very difficult for Lebanon on the economic and financial fronts. That opportunity should not be missed, and Lebanon therefore appeals to the international community to help it achieve a peaceful, equitable and fair resolution of the maritime border dispute. Lebanon is not interested in conflict or in escalating tensions, and with the help of its friends will continue its efforts to bring about a good conclusion to the negotiations.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

3. “The new Government will also play an important role in making sure that the presidential elections take place on time and in a safe, healthy atmosphere this autumn. The situation in south Lebanon regarding peace and security is calm but fragile. Lebanon is committed to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace for the conflict in the region, based on international legality and the relevant Security Council resolutions. In that regard, Lebanon reiterates its commitment to the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety and calls on Israel, the other party to the conflict, to do the same. The daily Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty add to the tension in the region and must stop.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

4. “Nor did the President take a strong position on the settlements, which remain the thorniest of the unilateral measures and which are considered illegal and the main obstacle to peace by Palestinians, Arabs and the international community. The key to peace in the region, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said, is simply ending the occupation. Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon and his Government are upholding their role as a caretaker Government and continuing their positive work on the reform steps that the Prime Minister’s Cabinet started and that have to be followed up with the international community, especially the International Monetary Fund. The Prime Minister was asked to form a new Government during a very trying time for the country and is continuing his efforts to do so.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

5. “The argument that the ground is not ready for a peaceful settlement is as old as the peace process itself. This theory permits unilateral measures and facts on the ground to put an end to Palestinians’ dreams of a State of their own. The President also stopped short of reassuring Palestinians on two important issues, those of Jerusalem and the settlements. With regard to Jerusalem, he reiterated the previous United States Administration’s position recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stopped short of fulfilling his pledge to reopen the United States consulate in Jerusalem. He did not talk about East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian State either.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

6. “The visit of President Biden also brought a much-needed change and rebalancing of the United States’ position. President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a two-State solution along the 1967 lines, with land swaps mutually agreed by the Israelis and Palestinians. He highlighted the importance of direct negotiations leading to “an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian State alongside the State of Israel”, enabling the two peoples to live side by side in peace and security, and called on both sides to avoid unilateral measures. Those pronouncements inspired hope in a new American peacemaking effort. However, the President told the Palestinians that the ground was not ripe for new attempts to reach peace.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

7. “Daily Palestinian casualties remain a grim reality, making it clear to all that ignoring the plight of the Palestinians will not make the conflict go away. It also proves that the much-promised peace is still a pipe dream, while the peace process remains blocked, leaving the Palestinian people more hopeless and without a political horizon. The Jeddah Summit in Saudi Arabia came back to a consensus on the need to reach a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-State solution and the Arab Peace Initiative. It also called for a halt to all unilateral measures that undermine the possibility of a two-State solution and affirmed the historical status quo of Jerusalem, with the Hashemite guardianship over the holy sites in Al-Quds.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

8. “I would like to start by congratulating you and Brazil, Sir, on your presidency of the Council and on convening this meeting. The Middle East has seen two important developments in the past month, the common position reached at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit, in particular on the Palestinian issue, and the visit of President Joe Biden of the United States and his reaffirmation of the long-held American position on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Those two developments showed that the Palestinian issue is still central to any peace efforts in the region. In the meantime, the situation in the Palestinian territories continues to be mired in tension, reminding us that the conflict is still unresolved.”

   2022-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9099 (2022) · source

9. “Children need pens, not guns; warm beds, not bullets in their heads; and schools, not bombs in their playgrounds and backyards. Children need peace. That should be our absolutely top priority here at the United Nations and elsewhere around the world. The Council is where the solution starts and the problem ends. It has the power and should exercise it for the sake of the children.”

   2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

10. “Some people describe the United Nations annual so-called list of shame of those responsible for grave violations against children in conflict as a useful tool for preventing violations. Those who violate the rights of children, who kill, maim or recruit children and abuse them have no shame. They cannot be shamed; they have to be held responsible and designated as child killers and abusers so that even if they run, they cannot hide from international justice. We need to deny impunity to those who violate the rights of children. We need accountability for the perpetrators and justice for all the children who have suffered at their hands. The current status quo is not tenable anymore. Children should be made off limits to warmongers.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

11. “The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified treaty in history. It has been ratified by a staggering 196 countries. And while we must acknowledge that it has made a difference, it is not enough of a difference to protect children in conflict from being the first victims. We need to find strong instruments for implementation that can transform those conventions from legal documents into living practice in every corner of the planet where there is a conflict. The conventions need teeth to be able to succeed in their mission. We need to be creative and more serious in implementing the humanitarian conventions and laws that protect children.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

12. “As noted in the Secretary-General’s report and in Ms. Gamba de Potgieter’s briefing today, the number of girls who have been killed or maimed or subjected to abduction and sexual violence has increased. In some contexts, such as Afghanistan, for example, the situation of girls is particularly dire. The denial of their basic rights, including the right to education, is unacceptable. Many girls are also being forcibly married so that the family has one less mouth to feed. We have to admit that we have failed to protect children around the world, despite all of the conventions, legislations and action plans that are supposed to protect them — especially in conflict. We have failed not because those conventions are not well-written or lack the seriousness that the matter warrants, but because there is no will to implement them.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

13. “During the launch of the UNICEF report, Executive Director Russell observed that between 2005 and 2020, the United Nations verified more than 0.25 million violations against children in situations of armed conflict. In Afghanistan alone, almost 33,000 children have been killed or maimed over the past 20 years, according to Save the Children. The Secretary-General’s report noted that 2021 was the deadliest year on record for Palestinian children since 2014, with 78 killed and a further 982 injured by Israeli soldiers. In Syria, according to Ms. Michelle Bachelet, the Human Rights Commissioner, 27,126 children were killed between March 2011 and March 2021. Thousands of children are killed or abused every day in the more than two dozen conflicts around the world. Girls deserve our particular attention today.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

14. “The number of violations reported against children in conflict situations over the past year is terrifying. Almost 24,000 verified grave violations were committed against children in conflict situations in 2021 alone. It is heartbreaking to see that 2,500 children were killed and 5,555 were maimed in conflicts — and those are only the ones that were reported. The UNICEF report 25 Years of Children and Armed Conflict: Taking Action to Protect Children in War also concurs with those statistics and highlights that between 2016 and 2020, a staggering average of 71 verified grave violations against children per day were committed by parties to conflict.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

15. “At the outset, I would like to congratulate Brazil for assuming the presidency of the Security Council for this month and organizing today’s timely debate. I also take this opportunity to congratulate Albania on its successful presidency of the Council last month. We thank the briefers and commend the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Mrs. Virginia Gamba de Potgieter, as well as that of UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, and assure them of our full support. As Vice-President of the UNICEF Executive Board for this year, I and my country, Lebanon, attach great importance to today’s open debate. The report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2022/493) paints a grim picture.”

    2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source

16. “Cooperation and coordination between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, in partnership with the various United Nations agencies, are essential for the success of the peace and security agenda. Equally as important are public-private partnerships between the private sector and civil society, including with women peacebuilders and women human rights defenders, in line with resolution 2331 (2016). In conclusion, I would like to wish all the women around this table and all the women around the world who are participating in peace and security a happy International Women’s Day.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

17. “That call is in line with resolution 1325 (2000) and the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament, which calls for gender parity and for the full and equal participation of women in all decision-making processes related to disarmament and international security. As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, we have to be reminded that the world cannot strive to live in peace and security if women are not empowered, including economically, and if their full, equal and meaningful participation is not guaranteed in all fields and at all levels. In order to achieve that goal, the role of Member States should be complemented with that of other stakeholders. No one can do that alone. If we are to be successful, we have to work on building strong partnerships.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

18. “Such progress is slow and is not distributed evenly across the peace and security agenda. In August, the long-delayed Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will be held. It is crucial that we push not only for a role for women in the negotiations for a good outcome but also for the equal, full and meaningful participation of women in the Conference and the arms control and disarmament processes in general. In the disarmament and non-proliferation processes, women are still underrepresented and do not play an active role in the decision-making process. That historical underrepresentation of women in nuclear- related diplomacy must change.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

19. “Although they were talking about participation in mass movements, that applies to women’s participation in the entire peace and security agenda. In its 2021-2022 report Women, Peace and Security Index, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security highlights the interlinkages between women’s rights and other industries, including democracy, and points out that countries in which women are doing well tend to be those with strong and more open democratic institutions. It is true that we have seen some progress in terms of women’s empowerment and gender equality in some fields. Yet, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s latest report on women in parliament in 2021, the global proportion of women parliamentarians has increased by only 0.6 per cent to reach 26.1 per cent.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

20. “It is important now, as we handle the aftermath of current or future conflicts, that women’s roles reflect the pain and suffering that they endure. The world is witnessing a rollback on two fronts: democracy and women’s empowerment. We are warned every day that women’s political and economic empowerment is stalling or declining around the world and that the assault on women’s rights has coincided with a broad assault on democracy. The linkages between them, according to Foreign Affairs magazine, are stark. The more democracy thrives and the more diversity and inclusivity we have, the more women can play their part as partners in all fields, especially in peace and security. Foreign Affairs magazine put it best when the writers noted that women’s participation in mass movement is like a rising tide that lifts all boats.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

21. “The terrifying sounds and images of war — and not the peaceful sounds and images of partnership — are what we hear and see today. Unfortunately, in war situations, people, especially women and children, are the ones who bear the brunt of the horror on the ground. While women usually face conflicts with courage and resilience, their voices are not heard when the guns go silent and negotiations over their future and the future of their countries are taken up and decisions that touch their lives are made. According to UN-Women, between 1992 and 2019 women represented, on average, just 13 per cent of negotiators, 6 per cent of mediators and 6 per cent of signatories in major peace processes worldwide.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

22. “At the outset, I would like to congratulate the President of the Security Council and the United Arab Emirates on assuming the presidency of the Council for the month of March and to thank the delegation of the Russian Federation for its presidency last month. I would like to express to Minister Almheiri and Ambassador Nusseibeh how proud I am as an Arab woman to sit in this Chamber and see them presiding over the Security Council. It is indeed a reason to feel very proud. I would also like to thank the President for organizing this important debate on advancing the women and peace and security agenda through partnerships and thank the briefers for their insightful briefings. We are meeting today at a very difficult and challenging time for our world. Women, peace and security are challenged like never before in our recent history.”

    2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989Resumption1 (2022) · source

23. “Ten years after this organ agreed on a presidential statement on the impact of climate change on the maintenance of international peace and security (S/PRST/2011/15), the time has come for more concrete action by adopting a draft resolution. In that regard, Lebanon co-sponsored the draft resolution prepared by the Niger and Ireland, and we are hopeful that all members of the Council will adopt it in the upcoming days.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

24. “Implementing that commitment remains the first line of defence to prevent the adverse impact of climate change and is an effective way towards climate security. As we expressed in previous debates, the Security Council, which is entrusted with the maintenance of peace and security, should work towards ensuring that conflict prevention and peacebuilding approaches increasingly integrate climate considerations into their strategies. To that end, we are of the view that coordination between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) could be enhanced by including the issue of climate security in the agenda of the PBC and of the Council. Prevention can also be strengthened by the adoption by the Council of a thematic draft resolution on climate security.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

25. “That reality was recognized by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which for the first time acknowledged the harmful impact of climate change on peace and security in the region. Locals know better, and we need to heed the counsel of Africans when they say the two issues are linked. They know better because they are taking the brunt of the disruptions to lives and livelihoods on the continent. With respect to climate, implementation is of the essence. At the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Glasgow and which concluded less than a month ago, countries agreed on a process to keep the 1.5°C goal alive.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

26. “As the Secretary- General put it in his report Our Common Agenda, “The disastrous effects of a changing climate — famine, floods, fires and extreme heat — threaten our very existence.” (A/75/982, summary) We see that in many places around the world, and not only in Africa. Severe climate negatively impacts peace and security by fuelling more instability, risking leading to further conflict and violence, and pushing more people towards poverty and marginalization. We know that terrorist and violent extremist groups are on the lookout for grievances and injustice to exploit. We have consistently recalled the imperative to tackle root causes of conflict and instability. The disruption in the societies caused by climate disasters truly undermines that imperative by exacerbating the root causes.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

27. “While the world is still struggling to emerge from a pandemic that has compounded existing challenges and threats, it has become clear that climate change puts an additional strain on such challenges and threats. That is especially the case with countries already severely affected by economic and social challenges, and that are already hit by water scarcity, droughts, fires and floods, as is the case in the Horn of Africa, where climate-induced events are driving people out of their homes and villages and leading to threats of social upheaval and instability. An article in the current issue of Foreign Policy paints a very bleak picture of the devastating impact of climate change on sub-Saharan Africa, where 40 per cent of internal displacement in 2019 was due to natural disasters.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

28. “I would like to congratulate the Niger on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council this month. We welcome the presence of the President of the Republic of the Niger, who presided over the debate this morning. We also pay tribute to Mexico for its successful presidency in November. And we thank the Secretary- General and the other briefers for their contributions this morning. Today’s open debate attests to the increased focus placed on the impact of climate change on peace and security. We all know that the Council does not have consensus on this issue, but I am sure as the evidence accumulates daily around us, and as there is an urgent need to work together to mitigate the harmful impact of climate change on our planet, that we will find unity and consensus again, especially on the issue of climate and security.”

    2021-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8923Resumption1 (2021) · source

29. “Unfortunately, the pandemic has restricted the work and movement of personnel in many regions. Nevertheless, it continues to be invaluable. United Nations analysts should maintain impartiality and objectivity, while remaining independent and courageous in not bowing to pressure from or being too friendly to the country they cover. Pressure from local authorities, intimidation and threats, including by expelling United Nations personnel or closing offices, should not be tolerated. The Security Council needs to stand firm on that issue and not allow a precedent to be created. The Security Council has to uphold its responsibilities concerning the maintenance of peace and security around the world. To better do so, it must address the root causes of conflict and implement its own mandate, including that of prevention.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

30. “Today, however, with the nearly full return to normalcy, there should be an added emphasis on prevention through interactive and in-depth discussions on areas of concern around the world, not prepared statements. In order to succeed in prevention, the Council needs good, reliable and objective information and analysis at its disposal. The absence of such information or its weakness in terms of its quality or neutrality can prejudice the work of the Council, but, most importantly, it can negatively affect the work of the elected members of the Council, especially small States that lack resources. Prevention succeeds only when the Council has the political will to do that. United Nations offices and officers on the ground are the best source of such first-hand information and analysis.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

31. “The close work, cooperation and coordination between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) are essential in prevention, but the Peacebuilding Commission has to widen its scope and the themes that it tackles, adding more regions to its agenda. Climate and conflict should be addressed in the PBC and be included on its agenda. The Middle East is a pertinent example of how conflicts are the main obstacle to development and peace. The Middle East is a tinderbox today. The Security Council can benefit from a United Nations early-warning system, as well as from a strong consultations system. Virtual meetings have limited interaction with other Members over the past year and have shown that online negotiations were not conducive to reaching diplomatic compromises or preventing a slide into conflict.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

32. “There is also the exclusion of youth from decision-making, especially with regard to issues that affect their future, such as issues involving climate, jobs and freedoms. Women’s exclusion can leave half of the public sphere full of resentment and lead to failed States, as some studies show. That makes it imperative in the Security Council to prioritize prevention, but with new approaches that work. Prevention has to engage the whole United Nations system. It has to work within the nexus of peace, security, development, climate and conflict. Peace and security have to be the thread that ties all of them together in an inclusive way. It also has to work with the General Assembly.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

33. “They are managed today, and not well, if I may say so. It is true that the Charter focuses on inter-State disputes, while many conflicts today are within States, which creates tensions, especially over the issue of sovereignty and the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States. It is also true, however, that, although sovereignty is invaluable, there are issues that, if left unresolved, might lead to a threat to international peace and security. Grave human rights violations, atrocities, crimes against humanity and the uprooting of populations are a few examples of that. Occupation, like the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, is another major source of conflict. The Security Council can prevent conflict by implementing its own resolutions.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

34. “Today less than 10 per cent of the population in poor nations and less than 4 per cent of Africa’s population are fully vaccinated. The Security Council addressed the issue of vaccine inequality in resolution 2565 (2021), calling for strengthening international cooperation to facilitate equitable and affordable access to coronavirus disease vaccines in situations of armed conflict. But conflicts continue to rage, and vaccines continue to be scarce in many poor countries. The Charter of the United Nations, in Chapter I, puts prevention at the heart of the responsibility of the Security Council by identifying its purpose in the maintenance of peace and security. Although prevention runs throughout the whole United Nations document, it has not been one of the success stories of the Security Council. Conflicts are not resolved.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

35. “I would like to congratulate Mexico on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I also want to commend you, Sir, for choosing this topic and theme for the open debate. I am honoured and happy to be here before the Council for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, with the inclusion of small States like ours. The work of the Council this year has carried particular importance, owing to the multiple challenges that humankind is facing. The pandemic has revealed our underlying problems, owing to the socioeconomic crisis, multiplying conflicts and climate change, as they have aggravated structural weaknesses. It also has unmasked inequality, exclusion and discrimination, raising concerns of instability. There is no better example of inequality than vaccine inequity.”

    2021-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8900Resumption1 (2021) · source

36. “Instead of burying grievances and remaining enslaved by the chains of the past, transitional justice provides a range of mechanisms that allow first the citizen and then the country to achieve sustainable and meaningful peace.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

37. “Throughout the world and across history, human rights abuses, humanitarian law violations, conflicts and cycles of violence have ravaged countries. Such proliferation of suffering tears apart communities and has the potential to entrench instability, which threatens the prospects for peace. Transitional justice is essential to move forward, but first a transition out of the conflict situation is needed in order to start the process of healing. In our region, continuous and perpetual conflicts are the major obstacle to transitional justice. Time is of the essence to transition from conflict to justice within a reasonable time frame. Justice delayed is justice denied. Let us recall that this body has a great responsibility in ending conflicts, in order for peace to take hold and transition to begin.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

38. “Youth should be given the important role that they deserve to have in transitional justice, as agents of change, as the International Center for Transitional Justice stated. Their participation in transitional justice and reconciliation should be central, and not symbolic. Resolution 2250 (2015), on youth and peace and security, recognizes that role. In the same vein, we continue to believe that women’s participation should also be central. In that connection, I would like to mention that Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission was headed by a woman. Furthermore, as conflicts and grievances take on varied forms, there is a need for context- sensitive, local transitional justice that is cognizant of national specificities and cultural sensitivities.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

39. “A positive step towards restoring truth was taken in November 2018 when the Lebanese Parliament adopted Law 105, on missing and forcibly disappeared persons. That piece of legislation recognizes the right of families to learn the fate of missing loved ones and, to that end, seeks to establish an independent national commission. Let me add that the adoption of that significant law was made possible thanks to the key role played by partners such as the ICRC, non-governmental organizations and the International Center for Transitional Justice, to name a few, as well as civil society. That type of collaborative partnership remains essential on our path towards sustaining peace. Such partnership evidences the necessity of implementing a comprehensive approach to transitional justice premised upon the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

40. “In that regard, let me mention here the ministerial declaration adopted by our newly formed Government a few days ago, in which the Council of Ministers reaffirmed its commitment to the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to ensure that law and justice prevail, free from any politicization or spirit of revenge, so that it does not have a negative impact on the stability of Lebanon, its unity and its civil peace. Unity and civil peace are not mere words in my country, which was torn apart by a 15-year long civil war during which thousands of people were killed or went missing. A study by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) concluded that 75 per cent of Lebanese citizens had personal experience of armed conflict.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

41. “I would like to thank Belgium for convening this debate on a matter of paramount importance for all of us who hold dear the fundamental values of truth, justice, peace and the rule of law. We see it as an essential discussion and a logical follow-up to the debate (see S/PV.8668) held last November on the role of reconciliation in maintaining international peace and security. Today’s discussion is taking place at a particularly significant time for my country, as tomorrow will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. That led to the adoption in 2007 of resolution 1757 (2007), which established the Special Tribunal for Lebanon — a hybrid tribunal created to find the truth about, and bring to justice the perpetrators of, that heinous attack and end impunity.”

    2020-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8723Resumption1 (2020) · source

42. “The situation in the Middle East requires the Council and the international community to unite around the idea that, as my German colleague said yesterday, international law is not an á la carte menu. The Council needs to implement its resolutions — whether on Palestine, Lebanon, the Golan Heights or other parts of the region — in order for justice and peace and security to be restored to the Middle East.”

    2020-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706Resumption1 (2020) · source

43. “The new Prime Minister promised the demonstrators that he will work to fulfil their demands. The new Government has formed a committee to draft its policy statement in order to win the confidence vote in Parliament. The situation in the south of the country is calm, as the United Nations has reiterated, but Israeli violations of resolution 1701 (2006), as well as of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, continue unabated. The Lebanese defence forces recorded 2,620 violations, including land, sea and air violations, in 2019. Those violations run counter international legality and are fuelling tensions in the south of Lebanon. Air violations in particular terrorize the Lebanese population on daily basis.”

    2020-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706Resumption1 (2020) · source

44. “The pessimism of the Palestinians was captured in a survey conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross when it found that 52 per cent of Palestinian millennials believe that the conflict will never end. There is an urgent need for a different path, a different construct and a new page in the Middle East. The status quo is not tenable anymore. In Lebanon, a new Government headed by Prime Minister Hassan Diab was formed last night after three months of political crisis and a wave of demonstrations never seen before in the history of the country. The new Government, dubbed the “salvation Government”, is facing a major challenge to get Lebanon out of the current crisis. We are counting on the support of all Lebanon’s friends in the international community, because Lebanon’s stability is important for the entire region.”

    2020-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706Resumption1 (2020) · source

45. “These are desperate people and desperate people do desperate things. At the political level, they have no horizon and no hope for a peaceful settlement. The two-State solution has been emptied of every element essential for a Palestinian State and all final-status issues — the basis of an equitable solution to the conflict — have been dismantled by unilateral Israeli actions such as annexation, which will render the two-State solution an impossibility. The expansion of settlements, the confiscation of land and Israel’s actions in Jerusalem are making it impossible for East Jerusalem to be the future capital of a Palestinian State. The situation is leading not only to despair but also to a loss of faith in the international community and in peace.”

    2020-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706Resumption1 (2020) · source

46. “I am sure that we all heard about the total despair of the Palestinian people in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ briefing to the Council. What can one expect from a people who have been living under occupation for seven decades and whose human rights, legal rights, civil rights and rights to their land, water, and dignity have been taken away from them? What kind of lives can people lead when their cities are described as large prisons? The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Mladenov, recently said that we are always no more than two to three days away from another war in Gaza. What kind of future do the Palestinians have when youth unemployment is at 60 per cent and, as Ms. Mueller said, one in every two Palestinians is in need of humanitarian aid?”

    2020-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706Resumption1 (2020) · source

47. “The region is currently home to the largest humanitarian crises and refugee influx in its history, and yet also to the smallest chance of peace and security for its peoples. The situation in the Middle East presents a difficult challenge to the international community and to the United Nations. The conflicts are many and multiplying but, most importantly, violations of the Charter of the United Nations and its principles are being committed in total disregard of international law, especially international humanitarian law. For instance, turning to the Palestinian issue, as we heard yesterday from the briefers and other Member States, the situation is dark and worsening by the day.”

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48. “I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate and I would like to thank our briefers from yesterday — Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and Ms. Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs — for their statements (see S/PV.8706). On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is so fitting to celebrate his birthday the same week of the debate on the situation in the Middle East. Everything that Martin Luther King Jr. believed in and fought for — civil rights, human rights, justice, non-violence, inequality and non-discrimination — is on display in the Middle East today. All of those issues present the most difficult challenges that exist across the Middle East and are devolving into violence and conflict with dire consequences.”

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49. “In conclusion, I would like to join the voices of the more than one hundred countries that took the floor during this debate and reaffirmed their commitment to the Charter and its principles. Lebanon is going through difficult times, as it has on many occasions in its history. But like the phoenix behind the President, which symbolizes rebirth, Lebanon, the phoenix of the East, will rise again.”

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50. “Thirdly, the Security Council should stop the practice of double standards and implement its resolutions, especially those that affect peace and security and are related to ending occupation, mass atrocities and human rights. In Article 1, the Charter makes prevention the foremost priority in maintaining peace and security. The Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres, considers the inability to achieve prevention the most serious shortcoming of the international community. Prevention should become our overarching concern — in this building, and around the world. The international community has been too preoccupied by crisis overload around the world to be able to focus on prevention. But we have to remember that it is easier, cheaper and more humane to prevent crises than to have to deal with their consequences.”

    2020-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption2 (2020) · source