YouSaid · the spoken record

Mukerji

lines on the record: 258
first: 2013-04-24
most recent: 2015-10-13
sittings or episodes: 37
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

“Fourthly, we call on the Council to take the initiative to unanimously agree to increase the reimbursements to United Nations peacekeepers on the basis of the rates proposed in the survey commissioned under the mandate of the General Assembly. That will send a strong signal from the Council to the international community that it is fully prepared to pay for the new mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations that it has approved. Fifthly, we call on the Council to engage with troop-contributing countries under Article 44 of the Charter when drafting new multidimensional mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“Thirdly, we call on the Council to conduct a transparent and rigorous assessment in an open debate of whether or not the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations favouring the pacific settlement of disputes have been fully and sincerely complied with by the regional arrangements or regional agencies before the Council acts under Article 53, paragraph 1, to mandate United Nations peacekeeping operations, using the powers under Article 42 of the Charter. In our view, that must be an essential prerequisite for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in the so-called hybrid peacekeeping operations.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“With that objective in mind, we offer the following specific proposals for the Council to consider including in such an outcome document. First, we call on the Council to reconsider the use of intervention mandates for United Nations peacekeeping operations until all Member States that are contributing troops have been given the opportunity, under Article 44 of the Charter, to participate in the Council's decisions on such operations in the Chamber. Secondly, we call on the Council to ensure the mandatory inclusion in all mandates for United Nations peacekeeping operations of legally binding provisions for prosecuting, penalizing and neutralizing any non-governmental armed groups and armed militias causing or threatening to cause harm to those operations.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“On the other hand, the very same penholders that are drafting those new mandates cavil at having to pay more money for the peacekeepers tasked to implement such mandates. The irony is that some members of the Council appear to expect to continue to pay 1992 prices for the services of peacekeepers required to serve in more complex multilayered mandates in the year 2014. That is tantamount to turning economic theory, not to mention morality, on its head. The concept note ends with the tantalizing suggestion that there could be an outcome document as a result of this open debate. We strongly support that idea so that the valuable contributions made by all Member States in the Council today will be known and acted upon. My delegation is ready to contribute in any manner deemed fit to the creation of such a document.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“In that context, we would note that, before acting under the provisions of Article 53, paragraph 1, of the Charter to mandate peacekeeping operations, the Security Council is required by the Charter to satisfy itself that all attempts at the pacific settlement of disputes set out in Article 52 have been exhausted by the Member States belonging to regional arrangements or regional agencies. A fourth point made in the concept note relates to the resource implications for the new mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations and the emergence of multidimensional mandates. That is a very important issue. On the one hand, the new mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations are ambitiously drafted, running to many pages, as good governance templates.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“Thirdly, the concept note points to the increasing trend ofUnited Nations peacekeeping operations having to operate alongside other foreign military forces in the same theatre but with separate mandates that may differ from those approved by the Security Council. We assume that that point relates to the so-called hybrid United Nations peacekeeping operations, which have emerged out of the attempt to synergize the provisions of Chapter VIII and Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“The second important point highlighted by the concept note is the presence of elevated risks to United Nations peacekeeping oerations from non-governmental armed groups. We completely agree with that point. Earlier this year, in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping we substantiated with facts and figures our views on such a threat, as faced by us in the peacekeeping operations of MONUSCO, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, where our troops are deployed. It is a matter of concern that the Security Council has failed to take any effective action to address such risks.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“Furthermore, by being asked to be party to an internal armed conflict, all United Nations peacekeepers, not only those of the interventionist peace enforcement brigade, become liable to be treated as enemy combatants under international law and, as such, effectively forgo both their impartiality and their immunity from prosecution. Most significant, by resorting to the use of United Nations peacekeepers to tackle what are essentially internal political conflicts, we feel that the Council is effectively endorsing a short-sighted and unsustainable approach to the maintenance of international peace and security. That approach will lead to unprovoked and unnecessary casualties among United Nations peacekeepers and will ultimately erode the credibility and effectiveness of the Council itself.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“We have already experienced that with regard to the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) under resolution 2098 (2013) of March 2013. The Council is well aware that India contributes more than 4,000 troops to MONUSCO. In our view, such a mixing of mandates directly affects the operational effectiveness of the peacekeeping operation, exposing traditional peacekeepers to unnecessary threats from armed internal conflicts not instigated by the United Nations itself.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“By mandating United Nations peacekeeping operations to deal with such internal conflicts, the Council is effectively impinging on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in which the principles for peacekeeping operations are firmly rooted. As my colleague from China mentioned this morning, those principles include the consent of the parties to the operations, impartiality and the non-use of force except in self-defence. Our apprehension is exacerbated by the emerging proclivity of the Council subsequently to mix the traditional original mandate of United Nations peacekeeping operations with a new interventionist mandate for a small portion of the troops in the same peacekeeping operation.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“The Council's views and expectations of troop-contributing countries (TCCs) that have been expressed this morning would call for holding such meetings with TCCs in the Chamber under Article 44. We thank the Russian Federation for the concept note circulated to assist our debate today (S/2014/384, annex). We will focus on a few points in the concept note on the basis of our experience as a major United Nations troop-contributing country, having sent more than 170,000 Indian troops to 43 of the 68 peacekeeping operations mandated so far. First, the concept note underscores the impact on United Nations peacekeeping operations of the increase in the number of crises that are armed conflicts of a non-international character, also referred to as internal or intra-State conflicts. In our view, that is an important issue.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“At the outset, we express the hope that other permanent members of the Security Council will continue to organize such open debates on United Nations peacekeeping during their presidencies of the Council so that Member States that contribute troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations, such as India, can see a glimmer of hope for the eventual implementation of Article 44 of the Charter of the United Nations. As you are aware, Mr. President, Article 44 clearly calls on the Security Council to invite Member States not represented on the Council "to participate in the decisions of the Security Council concerning the employment of contingents of that Member's armed forces". However, that hardly ever happens in practice.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“We take it as a sign of the awareness that all is not well in the world of United Nations peacekeeping when the Russian Federation, which is a permanent member of the Security Council and its current President, decides, in our view with good reason, to hold this open debate on new trends in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The debate could not have come at a more opportune time for reasons that we will enumerate today, especially when many of the 106 United Nations peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2013, including those from India, died amid uncertainties faced by United Nations peacekeeping operations, including while using force to protect civilians.”
2014-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7196 (2014) · source
“India fully supports a Syrian-led, inclusive political dialogue that resolves the current crisis and meets the legitimate aspirations of all sections of Syrian society.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“We hope that both parties will resolve their differences and return to the third round of direct talks with strong political will and commitment. We also urge both sides to sincerely implement resolution 2139 (2014), ensuring humanitarian access, to immediately cease attacks against civilians, and to lift the siege ofpopulated areas. Those measures, we believe, can go a long way towards alleviating the human suffering caused by the conflict that began some three years ago. Unilateral sanctions that adversely impact on the population of Syria must be lifted in order to alleviate humanitarian suffering. Before I conclude, I would like to stress that there can be no military solution to this conflict.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“The proclamation by the United Nations of 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was a positive step, and the Indian delegation fully supports the activities of the Council on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to make this a meaningful year. India has always supported the nation-building efforts of Palestine through technical and economic assistance, including budgetary support. We are also implementing a series of development projects under the India-Brazil-South Africa Fund in Palestine. Turning to Syria, the removal of almost 92 per cent of Syria's declared stockpile of chemical weapons out of Syria is a positive development. However, we regret the stalemate in the political process.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“We firmly support a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue that would result in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side and at peace with Israel. As a member of the Council in 2011 and 2012, India supported Palestine's bid for full and equal membership of the United Nations, and continued our support as a co-sponsor of General Assembly resolution 67/19 in November 2012, which upgraded the status of Palestine to that of non-member observer State.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“It is a serious setback to the Middle East peace process. We hope that both sides will demonstrate the necessary political will to return to the negotiating table and that they will strike a mutually acceptable political solution to the crisis. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the plight of ordinary Palestinians is worsening every day due to roadblocks and the related infrastructure of occupation that put restrictions on the free movement of persons and goods. The blockade of Gaza is also continuing and adversely affecting humanitarian assistance services, economic activities and infrastructure development. It is also driving militant elements to vent their frustration through violence, thereby further complicating the situation on the ground and increasing Israel's vulnerability and security concerns.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Let me begin by expressing our appreciation to Nigeria for convening this quarterly open debate, which will allow the Council to take stock of recent developments in the Middle East, including the State of Palestine. I would like to thank the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Robert Serry, for his comprehensive briefing earlier today. It is unfortunate that the negotiations between Israel and Palestine, which began in late July 2013 with the aim of reaching a deal within nine months, ended without any outcome. There is no doubt that the dialogue process generated hope as it came after a hiatus of more than two years in talks between the parties. We express regret that the parties failed to seize the opportunity presented by direct negotiations to strike a peace deal.”
2014-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7164 (2014) · source
“Thirdly, we would also like to take this opportunity to caution against an over-reliance on what are often termed "innovative" approaches, particularly when there is a need to cut costs. There is, somehow, a belief that United Nations missions can be asked to do more with less. We can understand that, at some level, such logic will appeal to some people. The truth, however, is that costs cannot be cut without also cutting corners. We would therefore urge Member States to recognize that and to be pragmatic by including only mandates that are deliverable and for which resources are available. I would, in conclusion, like to underline our View that SSR capacity-building needs to necessarily occupy centre stage in the entire process of security sector reform. Such an approach would be both cost-effective and sustainable.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“If there is no law from day one, criminal activity thrives." Although vitally important, the focus has to be on what is doable, and not on an agenda driven by the priorities of donor countries. We hear, at times, references to the importance of cultural change in police reform. The concept note itself decries what it refers to as an excessive focus on issues of training and equipment at the cost of democratic governance and management. That is a prescription that we find difficult to agree with. Given the importance of national ownership and the scarcity of resources, priority, in our view, should be given to issues such as ensuring impartiality in recruitment, vetting new recruits and training. A focus on the political dimension of police reform will only be controversial and perhaps counter-productive.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“It is because of this that General Assembly resolution 60/180, which established the Peacebuilding Commission, affirms the primary responsibility of the national Governments of countries emerging from conflict to identify priorities and strategies for peacebuilding in order to ensure national ownership. We have, in the past, also emphasized that the footprint of external elements, including the United Nations, should be light in order to avoid any possible overtones of neocolonialism. Secondly, the establishment and maintenance of public order is important. A security vacuum after a peace agreement is dangerous. The late Sergio Vieira de Mello noted: "Unlike other nation-building tasks, the maintenance of law and order cannot wait.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“Our Heads of State and Government in 2005 agreed that that issue would be best considered by a specialized body created for that very purpose, that is, the Peacebuilding Commission. The fact that, despite the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Council still feels it necessary to discuss this issue today shows the complexity of the subject. It is therefore for reasons of pragmatism that we will use this opportunity to outline three basic principles that, in our view, must guide SSR. First, it is important to keep in mind that the most sustainable way to achieve effective SSR is by ensuring national ownership of the process.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“Also, six peacekeeping operations and eight special political missions have been mandated to carry out SSR. In many of those peacekeeping operations, troops from my country are directly involved. It was only a few days ago that two Indian peacekeepers wearing the Blue Helmet were injured while protecting civilians at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan base in Bor, South Sudan. That attack is another example of the unresolved political issues in South Sudan and reflects the importance of understanding the complex political environment of peacekeeping missions, where SSR has to take root as part of the internal political process of the Member State concerned. SSR is an important element of post-conflict peacebuilding.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for giving me the floor and for the concept note prepared by your delegation (S/2014/238, annex). It is a sign of the importance you attach to this issue, Sir, that we are discussing it once again under Nigeria's presidency. We would recall that we participated in the meeting presided over by Nigeria on 12 October 2011 (see S/PV.6630). I also thank the Secretary-General for his contribution to this discussion. India has experience relevant to the subject we are discussing today, having participated in 43 United Nations peacekeeping missions, in which almost 170,000 Indian peacekeepers have served. Security sector reform (SSR) is mentioned in several Security Council resolutions. We note that as many as 24 of the 47 resolutions adopted by the Council in 2013 include an explicit reference to SSR.”
2014-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7161 (2014) · source
“The progress that has been achieved by the people and Government of Afghanistan in the past 12 years in the social, political and economic spheres has taught us that, with sustained support from the international community, Afghanistan can successfully overcome those challenges. In conclusion, we would like to reiterate that, at this critical juncture of transition and transformation, we want to express our full support to the political, social and economic transition taking place in Afghanistan. We would like to convey, a few days before Nowruz, our best wishes to the people of Afghanistan for the upcoming electoral process and would like to assure them of the sincere support of the Government and people of India.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“Those recent events are part of India's long- established policy of, and commitment to, assisting the people and Government of Afghanistan as they build a peaceful, pluralistic, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. India does not have the luxury of an exit strategy in Afghanistan, which shares a civilizational linkage with India. We do not share the negativity and pessimism portrayed about the future of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is going through political, security and economic transitions at the same time. The uncertainties associated with the transitions pose real challenges.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“In that regard, we would like to assure the Council of India's fullest cooperation. We note the important references in the resolution adopted today by the Council (resolution 2145 (2014)) on UNAMA to the major processes that underpin the attempt by the international community to support Afghanistan. At the regional level, we would like to draw the attention of the Council to the senior officials' meeting under the Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan held in New Delhi on 17 January and the visit of the Minister of External Affairs of India to Kandahar on 15 February to inaugurate, with President Karzai, the Afghanistan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“Turning to the reconciliation process, we believe that it must remain Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled, while respecting the agreed red lines. We do not endorse any effort to treat the Government of Afghanistan on par with the Taliban. We have always maintained that the success of economic transition in Afghanistan is as crucial as the success of political and security transitions. It is the view of my delegation that the mandate of UNAMA should be to support the political institutions of Afghanistan, besides mobilizing international focus on the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We believe that UNAMA should also harness its strength in the humanitarian and developmental work, where its ability to reach the remotest corner of Afghanistan is well proven. UNAMA should concentrate on capacity-building.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“It is that terrorism that promotes terrorist activities against Afghan interests, as well as against friends of Afghanistan, like India. It is unfortunate that terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens and the financial and tactical support structures for terrorism still exist. It is necessary to demystify the notion that the problem in Afghanistan is one of rivalry among various ethnic or tribal groups. The real problem is that Afghanistan continues to face terrorism, which seeks to erode the efforts of Afghanistan and its friends to reconstruct the socioeconomic fabric of the country. We need to look at the sources of insecurity and violence in Afghanistan. We stand firmly with Afghanistan in confronting the threat and challenge posed by terrorism.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“We note that numerous election rallies and meetings are being organized across Afghanistan, and we applaud the Afghan people's confidence and their desire to participate in free and fair elections. On the security situation, we note with distress the mention in the Secretary-General's report (S/2014/163) that provinces in the east and south of Afghanistan faced intensified attacks from an array of groups, including from Tehrik-e Taliban, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, in addition to the Afghan Taliban. Our assessment is that intimidation in the southern and eastern parts of the country is a threat to smooth elections. We want to stress the fact that terrorism, which emanates from beyond Afghanistan's borders, is the main threat to Afghanistan's security and stability.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“The Vice-President of India led the Indian delegation to his funeral. I would also like to pay tribute to the four members of the United Nations family who lost their lives on 17 January in the ghastly attack in a restaurant in Kabul. We condemn that barbaric act, which was perpetrated by the Taliban. On 13 March, a suicide bomber, whose target was the Indian Consulate in Kandahar, was killed by Afghan security forces just outside the Consulate building, preventing a major terrorist act. The presidential election, which is scheduled for 5 April 2014, is the most important upcoming event in the political transition of Afghanistan. We should look for an election process that has credibility with the Afghan people and culminates in the choice of an Afghan President who is acceptable to all Afghans.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“At the outset, Madam President, let me thank you for organizing today's debate on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Kubis, and Ambassador Tanin for their briefings. While the text of my statement is being circulated, I will, in the interests oftime, make a shorter presentation. Let me begin by paying tribute to the former first Vice-President of Afghanistan, Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who passed away on 9 March. His contribution to fighting the forces of terrorism and extremism and to the stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan will always be remembered. Mohammed Qasim Fahim was also a close friend of India and made personal contributions to nurturing and strengthening the India-Afghanistan strategic partnership.”
2014-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7139 (2014) · source
“Should he do so in the Democratic Republic of the Congo once a revised mandate is adopted for the entire Mission that requires - not as an exception but as a rule - MONUSCO to take on targeted offensive operations against armed groups? Who will then be the civilian and who will then be the combatant when we cross the Mogadishu line in the Democratic Republic of the Congo once again?”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“We fear that the same may happen today. We hope that the consequences will not be the same. In the event that we do not make ourselves heard on 19 February, we avail ourselves of this opportunity to request the members of the Council to remind themselves of the requirements of Article 44 of the Charter of the United Nations. The rule of law, as far as the Council is concerned, requires TCCs to participate in the Council's decisions, and notjust be consulted on them. In conclusion, I will lay a few questions before the entire membership of the United Nations, because it is on their behalf that the Council acts. Does the peacekeeper shoot to protect? Should he have done so on 19 December 2013?”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The TCCs must know and accept in advance material changes to the terms and conditions under which they committed their troops. That is also important for TCCs because their Governments, Parliaments and their people want to know why their soldiers have been sent into situations not anticipated when the United Nations request for forces was accepted. We hear in the corridors of this building that the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is going to change. We have not been told, but those who wield the pen would know. We understand that you, Madam President, will be organizing an open debate on the rule of law next week. We do not know if we will participate. When we spoke in the Council on 24 November 1961 our voice was not heard.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“This involvement is related to the whole state of public opinion in our country, and, ourselves being a democratic country, this naturally has a great influence on our Parliament and on our Government." (S/PV982, p. 4) Alhough C.S. Jha voiced our Views on what needed to be done, the views were ignored. Things started to go bad. More than half a dozen troop contributors withdrew from the Congo operations because they could not agree with the way it was run by the Council and by the Secretariat. That is, inter alia, why we ask that consultations be held whenever there is a change in the situation on the ground. The TCCs are the first to know that things are going wrong. Consultations must be held before the Council changes a mandate.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Some five decades ago when the first operation was set up, in the Congo, there was a conflict within a State. Regional Powers were involved. There was a collapse of administration and the United Nations was invited in. At one stage, India provided 6,000 of the 16,000 troops deployed. Fifty-three years ago, my predecessor the Permanent Representative C.S. J ha spelled out why India wanted to have an influence on the Council's thinking. His words are just as valid today. He said, "We cannot forget, nor should the Council forget, that we have involved ourselves in the Congo at very great sacrifice, and that involvement does not mean merely the discomfort, the inconveniences and sometimes the loss of life to our young men serving in the Congo.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The challenge that the United Nations faces in the disparity between mandates and resources is truly an important one. Turning to mandates and their interpretation, the concept note again very wisely refers to the requirement for consultation, including among the Council, the Secretariat and troop-contributing countries, prior to the establishment of and throughout the life cycle of peacekeeping missions. Troop-contributing countries put at risk the lives of their soldiers in the service of the United Nations. The TCCs know the situation on the ground better than most, as they are in daily touch with developments and can, on the basis ofpractical experience, advise on what needs to be done. Their advice will be sound, objective and unbiased. It can serve the Council well.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“That is a tragic but real conundrum that cannot be ignored. The concept note very correctly refers to the disparity between mandated tasks and allocated resources being an important challenge. The note can certainly not be accused of overstating the case. The Working Group on Contingent-Owned Equipment met last month for the first time in three years. Troop- contributing countries (TCCs) asked for a revision of the daily allowance. It is now $1.28 per day, and has been so for the past 20 years. The TCCs also asked for a revision of the rest-and-recuperation allowance. It is $10 per day, and has been so for the past decade. The Committee could, however, only agree to an overall increase of $0.75 per cent to the contingent-owned- equipment rate.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The 40 Indian peacekeepers were heavily outnumbered. They had superior fire power and a robust mandate that would have allowed them to use force, not just in self-defence but also in defence of the mandate. Had they opened, fire hundreds of lives would have been lost. Would those lives have been civilians or combatants? And the troops who availed themselves of their superior fire power, would they have been peacekeepers or war- makers? Those are real-life situations. They are known to those who have boots on the ground, and to those who give up their lives in defence of the highest ideals of the United Nations. While a bloodbath was avoided on 19 December 2012, Warrant Officers Kumar Pal Singh and Dharmesh Sangwan paid for it with their supreme sacrifice. Were they exposed to risks that were unacceptably high?”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“It certainly goes back to the two world wars of past century, which saw large-scale killing of civilians in concentration camps and indiscriminate air raids. We also need to take cognizance of the grim conclusion that dispatching foreign troops does not automatically protect the civilian population. We need to ask: who is the civilian and who is the combatant? Are the civilians the tens of thousands of Nuer who last December took refuge in the compounds of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Juba? Or are they the equal number of Dinka who were doing so in United Nations compounds in Jonglei? We need to question whether a robust mandate automatically translates into the protection of civilians? On 19 December 2012, some 2,000 armed youths attacked the UNMISS base in Akobo that was providing protection to Dinka refugees.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“We thank you, Madam President, for this opportunity. Given the paucity of time and the large number of speakers, I will read out an abridged version of our statement, which is being circulated for the record. We thank the briefers at this meeting and the Secretary-General for his report (S/2013/689). We also thank and congratulate you, Madam President, for the concept note circulated for this meeting (S/2014/74, annex). As the concept note reminds us, this year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Council's engagement on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. However, the targeting of civilians is not a recent phenomenon. It in fact predates the United Nations first large-scale mission, which was launched in the Congo in 1960.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In our View, the most important challenge to international peace and security and conflict prevention as far as the United Nations is concerned is not the understanding of the historical process but a realization that our platform for global governance in this area, namely, the Security Council, is no longer reflective of contemporary reality. The Security Council requires comprehensive reform in its membership, with an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. That is essential both for its credibility and for the continued confidence of the international community in the institution.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Perhaps the best place for us to make a beginning on formulating a way forward on such an idea would be the Sixth Committee ofthe General Assembly. I suggest this because the work that any proposed United Nations historical unit would eventually have to do would need to be grounded on an approach based on the core principles of international law and the interpretation of documents. In our view, such a concept should therefore be entrusted to our colleagues in the Sixth Committee who, with their legal acumen and gravitas, would be best placed to deal with the concept in a sound and objective manner. In conclusion, I come back to where we began, which is the role of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security on a sustainable basis so that the scourge of war is indeed prevented.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“With regard to the fourth issue, that of sustainable peace, my delegation is ofthe view that the maintenance of international peace and security will become more sustainable if we agree to adopting a holistic and equitable approach to relations between Member States. The United Nations has an extensive agenda devoted to issues under the purview of the General Assembly, including on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. Sustainable development will play a crucial role in sustaining and contributing to international peace and security. Fifthly, there is a proposal in the concept note for mandating a small United Nations historical advisory team to assist in setting up national archives or historical commissions. As has been pointed out, that is indeed a sensitive issue. However, it is an important issue.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“As we discover each passing day, there are many more important facts related to historical narratives that have been, and indeed continue to be, suppressed from public dissemination by Governments of Member States. The process of the declassification of those historical records is subject to governmental rules and procedures, and is not automatic. Even the documents that are declassified often are heavily redacted. Therefore, reverse engineering historical narratives is dependent upon an ideal situation, which perhaps can never prevail in our imperfect world, namely, the full and unedited disclosure of facts. It is because of that important aspect that my delegation would caution against any proposal for the United Nations to re-examine historical narratives.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“There are similar practical examples in other parts of the world, where the strengths of individual nations formerly in conflict against each other are being voluntarily and collectively pooled to craft a new paradigm of constructive international cooperation, contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security. That process of constructive cooperation based on dialogue is the biggest strength underpinning the United Nations system today. The third issue ofwhat is called reverse engineering history, while conceptually an interesting one, is, in our view, a task best handled by distinguished academicians, including historians, rather than being entrusted to the intergovernmental structure at the United Nations.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“An internationally supported political process in those two operations would sustain the efforts of the more than 6,000 Indian soldiers actively engaged in carrying out the Security Council's mandate, including the protection of civilians. On the second issue, offorging deeper reconciliation among ex-combatants, it may be useful to look at the historical record in international relations. The most relevant one for our debate today, as has been referred to by several speakers before me, is the evolution of the European Union since the end of the Second World War. That is a case of ex-combatant Governments coming together to create, with the Treaty of Lisbon in December 2010, a new political reality on a continent that had historically been fractured into warring parties.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“As the single largest troop-contributing country to Security Council-mandated peacekeeping operations over the past six decades, we have deployed more than 170,000 troops in 43 out of the 64 United Nations peacekeeping operations so far. Our experience shows that robust international cooperation among the concerned Member States of the United Nations is the most sustainable method for addressing conflicts between them. That would also apply to the robust mandate given to a portion of United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, adopted in resolution 2098 (2013), in March 2013, and the United Nations peacekeeping response to the internal conflict in South Sudan, as set out in resolution 2132 (2013), of December 2013.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source