YouSaid · the spoken record

Murmokaite

lines on the record: 1,184
first: 2012-11-19
most recent: 2016-11-07
sittings or episodes: 138
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

“At the outset, I would like to thank Ambassador Gary Quinlan for his quarterly briefing on the work of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006). I would also like to commend the Panel of Experts for their meticulous work. Lithuania has long called for a comprehensive, negotiated and long-term solution that would strengthen international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme, in full compliance with its international obligations and the relevant Security Council resolutions. Lithuania notes the progress achieved thus far in the implementation of the 24 November 2013 Joint Plan of Action agreed by the E3+3 and Iran.”
2014-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7265 (2014) · source
“While we concur that further continued efforts are needed to strengthen the country's capacity with respect to the rule of law and law and order, we support a conditions-based consolidation plan for the Mission, including a drawdown of its military component, in view of the changing nature of the role of the Mission as well as actual needs on the ground.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“In that respect, we welcome the fact that training sessions on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse were provided to more than 1,500 personnel and we encourage continued awareness-raising on the matter, since tackling gender-based violence is an important component of women's empowerment and their enhanced role in all spheres of society, including as agents of the country's development. We also welcome Haiti's continued efforts to improve child protection legislation. The Government's ratification of the first two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a welcome step in that respect, and we appreciate it. In terms of the way ahead, we are carefully analysing the Secretary-General's proposals on the future of MINUSTAH.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“For our part, we remain committed to continuing our modest contribution to MINUSTAH'S police component. We welcome MINUSTAH's commitment to assist the Haitian police in addressing sexual and gender- based violence. We are concerned, however, that much of the violence remains underreported. Although there has been progress in trials related to human rights abuses, prosecution of the perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence continues to lag. Sustained efforts are needed to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence and to promote the political participation of women.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“Still, while the progress made by the Haitian National Police is undeniable, as the Secretary-General's report (S/2014/617) notes, it may not have the strength to ensure country-wide security without support, particularly if confronted with additional challenges such as the electoral cycle, once it begins. Law and order problems also remain. Further efforts are needed to solidify gains in combatting criminality and tackling outstanding law and order concerns. Quick- impact projects aimed at improving the rule of law and good governance in the country, including through training and construction or through the rehabilitation of peace tribunals, are an important contribution to improving security and building confidence among the population.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“We commend the efforts of the United Nations and of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to engage Haiti's political actors on that matter and to advance towards the elections. Strengthening security and the rule of law are some of the most important areas of United Nations engagement in Haiti. We note the relative stability in the security situation in the country. Thanks to the commitment of the Government of Haiti and the active collaboration of MINUSTAH's police component, the capacities and professionalism of the Haitian National Police have increased.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“The people of Haiti have suffered too much, and gone through too much, to live in political uncertainty, especially because that will inevitably affect much- needed progress in the country's economic and social development. We call on all political stakeholders in Haiti to overcome existing hurdles with regard to the electoral framework and to engage in a genuine dialogue on the matter, with all due urgency, keeping the tight time frame in mind. A successful electoral cycle and the consolidation of democratic institutions are key to ensuring stability and addressing the challenges facing the country's social and economic development. The authorities in Haiti need to move forward with the political process towards holding inclusive elections in a solid legal framework.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“I would like to start by thanking Sandra Honore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, and her team for their dedicated work on the ground. Lithuania aligns itself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the European Union. In my national capacity, I would like to stress several points on the political progress, security and the rule of law, and United Nations engagement in the country. The last time we met in the Council on Haiti (see S/PV.7147), we welcomed the progress achieved in the political process towards holding national elections on 26 October and presidential elections in 2015. That progress, however, has not been sustained, and today the holding of the elections on the established date is in doubt.”
2014-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7262 (2014) · source
“We call on all States and non-State actors to abide by the Lucens Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict. In conclusion, let me convey my delegation's appreciation for the dedicated work carried out by Luxembourg, Chair of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Let me assure our Luxembourgois colleagues and Special Representative Zerrougui of our full support and cooperation as they continue their vital work for the sake of thousands of conflict-affected children.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“It is deplorable that schools - the very places that should be safe havens for children - are subjected to attacks or are converted to military uses, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law. In fact, a recent study shows that since 2009 schools and universities have been used for military purposes in more than 30 countries: as barracks, detention centres, fighting positions, weapon-storage centres and so forth. Timely and accurate monitoring and reporting is crucial for responding to such attacks and for holding the perpetrators to account. Lithuania strongly condemns any and all attacks on schools and reminds all parties to conflict of their obligation under international humanitarian law to respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in attack.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“In that context, let me note my delegation's concern about the failure so far by the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict to adopt its conclusions on Syria, where more than 10,000 children have fallen victim to conflict-related killing, maiming, displacement and forced early marriage. Massive numbers of Syrian children are deprived of their right to education. We strongly urge all Council members to place the fate of Syrian children above all and to rally behind the relevant conclusions by the Working Group. Earlier this year we adopted resolution 2143 (2014), with a key focus on the need to respect and protect schools from attacks and the use by armed forces or groups. The recent situation in Gaza reminded us once again ofthe huge gap between the letter ofthe resolution and its implementation.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“All the tools available to the Council should be consistently employed, including the use of child recruitment and violence against children as sanctions-designation criteria, regular thematic briefings to the Council and the relevant Sanctions Committees by the Special Represenative - as our Australian colleague suggested just a few minutes ago - and cooperation with the International Criminal Court and special tribunals, fact finding missions and commissions of inquiry. Legal cases against perpetrators of child recruitment and violence against children are still too few and far between. We must redouble efforts to pursue justice and end impunity for crimes committed against children.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“My delegation supports including the abduction of children as an additional trigger for the monitoring and reporting mechanism and in the name-and-shame listings contained in the annexes to the reports of the Secretary- General. We must make sure that all the instruments at our disposal are well suited to tackle crimes against children and that they contain strong elements of dissuasion, deterrence, accountability and justice. Existing lessons learned, from the worst failures to the best practices, from the States concerned should serve as useful guidance. As Ms. Zerrougi has mentioned, the role of the relevant regional organizations should be further explored and utilized.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“While we welcome the recent delisting of Chad, the signing by Yemen of an action plan and the reconfirmation of commitment to end child recruitment by Afghanistan and South Sudan, we also urge the Sudan, the only remaining country among the eight listed, to sign without further delay an action plan aimed at stopping the recruitment of children. Actions by various armed groups and non-State actors are of particular concern to my delegation. As others have mentioned, last April Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a school in north-eastern Nigeria, following the destruction of a school in Borno in February, where nearly 60 children were killed or burned to death. In May the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria abducted more than 150 Kurdish boys returning from Aleppo after end-of-year exams.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Many of those girls will never benefit from rehabilitation and reintegration assistance. For that reason, we stress that special efforts are needed to take into account and meet the special needs of girls. Child recruitment remains a particular and constant concern. Out of the 59 parties listed for grave violations against children in the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2014/339) eight are Government security forces and 51 are armed groups. We note the steps taken by the relevant Governments to address the problem, and we strongly encourage all of them to live up to their commitments and seek tangible progress in implementing national action plans, so as to achieve the goals set out in the joint campaign Children, Not Soldiers.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“In that respect, we cannot stress enough the importance ofimplementing resolution 2117 (2013), on small arms, including placing greater focus on how to help States to tighten control over arms. As others have said, children are used to clear mines, manufacture and plant improvised explosive devices and sent to carry out suicide attacks. Forced displacement, sexual slavery, abductions and recruitment and the resulting enormous physical and psychological trauma shape the brutal reality for countless children in conflict zones. Girls are particularly vulnerable, as they may be kidnapped into sexual slavery or forced to become child brides. Crimes against girls often go unreported, either because they are missed at the point of identification and release or because assistance programmes are actively avoided.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“I wish to thank the United States presidency of the Security Council for holding this debate. I also thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, for her tirelessness dedication in carrying out her work. I also thank all the other briefers for their valuable contributions. Lithuania aligns itself with the statement to be delivered on behalf of the European Union. We must maintain focus on this issue because, for all the progress achieved on the legislative side, crimes continue to be committed against children in armed conflicts in different parts of the world, both by Government and non-Government forces. Due to the widespread availability and proliferation of modern light weapons, children not even 10 years of age are forced to kill.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“A call to the separatists not to prevent the delivery of humanitarian assistance is something that we should like to see in the text, as well as some other amendments that we might come up with.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“We note the request by the Russian Federation. I am also very well aware of certain labels that my delegations has been given. In spite of that fact, since those labels have been repeated on various occasions - "killer amendments" and things of the kind - we appreciate the drafting of the statement referred to by the representative of the Russian Federation. However, we would like to have a little bit more time to look into the text seriously. In our opinion, some of aspects are not reflected in that text. For one, we are very well aware of the information that separatists have been preventing the provision of humanitarian assistance to the population. Humanitarian assistance has been offered by the Government of Ukraine.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Once international laws been brazenly broken, as they are vis-a-vis Ukraine, it would be naive to think that such disregard for international norms of behaviour will stop at that and will not creep even further. Are we really ready to take such risks?”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“As for the Geneva statement, whose non-implementation is so often lamented by Russia, that statement, as well as any ceasefire, must be implemented by all sides, including the illegal separatists and including Russia itself. Anything less than that is equivalent to a cynical demand for Ukraine's unconditional surrender. Like any sovereign Member of the United Nations, Ukraine has the right to defend itself, as per Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. That right cannot be taken by anyone. For too long now we have watched Russia's creeping attack against Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. And because it was happening one step at a time, our response has been like that of the proverbial frog in boiling water.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“What Ukraine needs is a most urgent return by Russia to the internationally accepted norms of behaviour, compliance with international law and respect for the Charter of the United Nations 4 for which Russia, as a permanent member of the Council, bears a special responsibility. Lithuania calls on Russia, in the strongest of terms, to return to its senses and to comply with the purposes and principles of the Charter, immediately withdraw its military forces, weaponry and equipment from the sovereign territory of Ukraine, secure its borders, cease the shelling of Ukraine from Russian territory, and urgently end all support to the illegal armed separatist groups in the east of Ukraine. President Poroshenko's peace plan must be urgently implemented.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Soldiers who are citizens of Russia are also now losing their lives in this criminal war against the State of Ukraine. As reported by various sources, the mothers of Russian soldiers are seeking answers regarding their children, at least four hundred dead. Journalists who are trying to investigate and report on soldiers' graves in Pskov have been threatened and harassed. How many more lives need to be lost and people maimed for Russia to realize its folly of aggression against Ukraine? Ukraine does not need any more Russian so-called humanitarian convoys. Ukraine does not need more Russian tanks, troops or rearmament of separatist bands.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Had it not been for Russia's continuous, active support, the illegal separatists i a clear minority in the region they claim to represent - would have long ago run out of steam and weaponry. Eastern Ukraine would have been getting back on its feet, flows of internally displaced persons (lDPs) would have stopped and reversed, and no more lives would have been lost. This conflict has already claimed too many lives. Even moderate estimates show that over 2,000 have been killed since April. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has noted over 200,000 lDPs and about 3.9 million people affected by conflict as of 15 August. People are dying in Ukraine because of the criminal acts carried out by the illegal separatists and their Russian supporters.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Specifically, Budapest Memorandum articles 1 and 2 impose clear-cut obligations on Russia to respect the political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its existing borders of 1994, and not threaten it or use force by any means. By now the Council has held close to 30 meetings on Ukraine. We have heard numerous assurances by Russia, here and elsewhere, regarding its desire for a solution to the crisis in Ukraine. All of this time, however, instead of seeking that solution, Russia has been escalating the situation, as the flow of weapons, equipment, mercenaries and now troops has continued across Russia's borders into the territory of Ukraine. Let us be clear: weapons do not fall into the hands of rebels out of the blue sky.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“A member of the Russian President's advisory council on human rights, Ella Polyakova, said on Thursday that she believed Russia was carrying out an invasion of Ukraine. "When masses of people, under commanders' orders, on tanks, armoured personnel carriers and using heavy weapons, are on the territory of another country, across the border, I consider this an invasion." Such actions by the Russian Federation are in gross violation of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular Article 2, paragraph 4, and other fundamental principles - as we have said in the Council many times before - and norms of international law, including the Helsinki Final Act, the 1997 Treaty between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, whereby Ukraine renounced its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“Within the past day, as reported, troops from the Russian 98th Guards Airborn Division from lvanovo have taken over the Ukrainian city of Novoazovsk. New, previously safe areas of Ukraine have been affected, expanding the zone of conflict. "There are active soldiers fighting among us who preferred to spend their vacation not on the beach, but with us, among their brothers, who are fighting for their freedom", says Aleksandr Zakharchenko, a rebel commander and the self-proclaimed prime minister of a non-existent Donetsk People's Republic, boasting in an interview on Russian State-run television, adding that there were some 3,000 to 4,000 Russians among the separatists ranks.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“1 thank you, Mr. President, for convening this urgent meeting. Lithuania condemns in the strongest terms the invasion of Ukraine's territory by the armed forces of the Russian Federation as an open and blatant violation of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and a serious blow to peace, security and stability across the entire region and well beyond. For months we have watched countless violations of Ukraine's unity and territorial integrity - first Crimea's annexation, then the war initiated by Russian- supported fringe separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, then provocative manipulations of humanitarian aid with semi-empty humanitarian trucks, then soldiers lost on the other side of the border and now Russian forces on Ukraine's sovereign territory.”
2014-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7253 (2014) · source
“In line with the principle of complementarity, international judicial mechanisms and tribunals, including the International Criminal Court, have an important role to play in tackling impunity and ensuring justice for the victims, thus laying the foundations for durable peace.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“If unaddressed, legitimate grievances caused by exclusion, marginalization, lack of accountability and lawlessness are bound to ignite or reignite a conflict. A crucial element of conflict prevention, in our view, consists in putting an end to impunity and ensuring justice for all. The Council's strong voice and actions in support of the rule of law, accountability and justice matter a great deal. National truth and reconciliation commissions, commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions tackling past atrocities are essential elements in preventing relapse into conflict, and they merit the Council's full support. We must also extend all the necessary support to States in restoring theirjudicial systems and investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators of criminal doings during the time of conflict.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The good offices of the Secretary-General and United Nations mediators could be engaged at the earliest possible stage, with all the necessary discretion. To enhance the effectiveness of that particular instrument, further support should be provided to strengthening United Nations mediation-support capacities, including the Mediation Support Unit, the Standby Team and the roster of experts. Tht third element is ensuring accountability. Responding to human rights violations and acting before they reach tragic proportions is a core concern of preventive action. As we know, violations of minority rights, sexual and gender-based violence, intolerance and faith or ethnicity-based persecutions are among the root causes of conflict and humanitarian crises.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Furthermore, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Advisers on Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect play a key role in sounding an early alarm. Providing Member States with prompt, unsanitized information about serious human rights violations is fully in line with the Secretary-General's Rights Up Front initiative, which we wholeheartedly support. In that respect, we welcome the United Nations efforts to integrate human rights monitoring into peacekeeping operations. The second component is early mediation. As the Secretary-General said, early action does matter. My delegation recognizes mediation as an important tool for defusing emerging conflicts.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“We therefore welcome the call in the resolution to examine how cooperation with regional organizations could contribute to early-warning mechanisms and preventive actions. The Council must make better use of information from the ground through interactive dialogues and briefings, including on situations of concern that are not formally on its agenda. My delegation sees great potential in briefings from the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), horizon-scanning and periodic human rights briefings, as proposed by the High Commissioner this morning. Making such briefings less formal, more flexible and needs-based, with an emphasis on interactivity, could allay some of the sensitivities related to the Council's discussing a particular situation. Further improvement of DPA's analytical/assessment capacities would be useful in that respect.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“As today's resolution points out, conflict prevention is a complex undertaking consisting of various interdependent, complementary and non-sequential components. I would like to dwell on a few of them. First, with respect to informed early warning, the United Nations system, with its country teams in 136 countries, its peacekeeping presence and special representatives and envoys, is well placed to sound early warning and provide first-hand information from the field. Greater synergies and interactivity between the Organization's own early-warning capacities and those of regional and subregional organizations are essential. Early-warning mechanisms already exist within the EU, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Southern African Development Community.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“United Nations mediation in post-election Bangladesh in 2013, the good offices of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, combined with the engagement of the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in response to an outbreak of violence in Kyrgyzstan in 2010, and the often-invisible work by the Standby Team of Mediation Experts at dozens of negotiations around the world speak to the importance of early preventive action. Today, as the Council grapples with an unprecedented number of conflicts and four level 3 humanitarian emergencies in the face of an almost chronic shortage of funds for life-saving activities, we need a qualitative leap in conflict prevention.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, Rome'o Dallaire, warned the United Nations about plans to massacre Tutsis and offered to raid arms caches in Kigali. He insisted that where there was a will, there was a way. The will was not there, and some 800,000 people were murdered in the subsequent 100 days. Examples abound where the action taken was too little and too late, resulting in the loss of multiple human lives and in the exorbitant costs of dealing with a full-blown conflict. On the other hand, when the United Nations has used its powers proactively it has managed to prevent major crises. One such example is Yemen, to which the United Kingdom delegation has already referred.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing today's open debate. I also thank the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their briefings. We sincerely thank the High Commissioner for her extraordinary service. We welcome the adoption of resolution 2171 (2014), which Lithuania gladly co-sponsored. The Council is entrusted with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. All too often, however, it has assumed that responsibility only when a conflict was in full swing and the loss of lives was too high to ignore. A glaring case of the Council's failure to act was that of the genocide in Rwanda, whose twentieth anniversary was marked earlier this year.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The Council must ensure that the relevant humanitarian resolutions are implemented in full and must take the necessary further action in the event of a failure to do so. My delegation is also concerned with regard to the politicization of humanitarian access on the eastern borders of Ukraine, where attempts to deliver purported humanitarian aid have been accompanied by increased military movements on the part of Russia, violations of Ukraine's borders and continued support to anti-Ukrainian rebel groups. All such attempts to manipulate humanitarian access for military or political purposes are totally unacceptable and go counter to the spirit and letter of international humanitarian law.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Humanitarian action, as described in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977, is based on the principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence - the essential features of any humanitarian operation, as was stressed earlier today by the Deputy Secretary-General and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Violating those principles may incur grave consequences for humanitarian workers themselves, as well as for those who depend on the assistance they provide. In Syria, we have witnessed a most blatant violation of those principles of impartiality and neutrality, as parties to the conflict, in particular the Syrian regime, have repeatedly obstructed humanitarian aid, withheld consent for operations and redirected aid as a tactic of war.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“States need to make sure that perpetrators of attacks committed in their territory against humanitarian and United Nations and associated personnel are brought to justice. As long as the climate of impunity prevails, humanitarian workers will be increasingly exposed to attacks and other life-threatening situations. For its part, the Council should consistently condemn attacks against humanitarian medical workers and should seek accountability for such crimes, including through the use of the various instruments at its disposal, such as sanctions, the designation of criteria, commissions ofinquiry, fact-finding missions, reporting by human rights monitoring teams and referrals to the International Criminal Court.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Questions related to the proliferation ofnon-State actors in conflict zones and the increasingly asymmetrical nature of threats must be urgently addressed, among other issues. The Rome Statute defines attacks against humanitarian workers as a war crime. Resolution 1502 (2003) establishes that status-of-forces, status- of-mission and host country agreements between the United Nations and host countries should include provisions designating attacks against humanitarian personnel as crimes punishable by law and requiring the prosecution or extradition of offenders. Yet how often have we seen those provisions put into action? Whether for lack of capacity or of political will, a notable gap exists regarding accountability for crimes against humanitarian workers.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“It defies the imagination." And yet that which defies the imagination is an increasingly dangerous reality for humanitarian workers in all conflict zones. The year 2013 saw a total of 460 aid workers killed, wounded or kidnapped, the highest number ever. The first eight months of 2014 have also been deadlier for humanitarian workers than the entire year 2012. As the most recent report of Humanitarian Outcomes indicates, the number of victims relative to the attack rate also continues to rise. Locally recruited humanitarian personnel are especially vulnerable to attacks and account for the majority of casualties, kidnappings, harassment, banditry and intimidation. We must do more to protect humanitarian workers, including national staff.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“Last week, the Council visited South Sudan, seeing at first hand those displaced as they tried to survive in appalling conditions, threatened by cholera and other diseases and on the brink of famine, with some 50,000 children at risk of dying from acute malnutrition. To many of those displaced, United Nations protection and humanitarian aid are their only lifeline. That lifeline has been threatened by violations of status of forces agreements and by incitement and attacks against humanitarian workers. Early this month, six humanitarian workers were killed. As Toby Lanzer, United Nations Resident Coordinator in South Sudan, lamented, "I cannot imagine how anybody could do that. Somebody who has come to provide medical care and attention to your children, and you have executed that person.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“I would like to thank the United Kingdom for organizing this timely briefing on World Humanitarian Day, and the three briefers for their sobering contributions. With an unprecedented number of level 3 humanitarian crises and over 50 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world, the dedicated services of humanitarian workers could not be more vitally important. As we pay tribute to all the humanitarian workers whose selfless efforts testify to what is best in our humanity, we must also seek to ensure that their life-saving work does not exact the ultimate price: the price of their own lives.”
2014-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7244 (2014) · source
“No less troubling is Russia's ongoing escalation of Cold War rhetoric against Europe and the West, now extended into sanctioning food imports, which will undoubtedly affect the Russian population itself. All those actions are the exact opposite to the confidence-building and de-escalation that are so badly needed, for which the international community has called repeatedly. While we are seriously concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the east of Ukraine and the civilian suffering - again, the Assistant Secretary-General has spoken extensively about that - we must be very clear. The key to ending the suffering is in the hands of Russia and hinges on its continued support to illegal separatist groups.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source
“We fully agree with the Assistant Secretary-General about the importance of a thorough and independent investigation into the crash and the need to bring those responsible to account. The reports of the OSCE monitoring mission have affirmed the facts with regard to the movement of armed individuals across the Russian border into Ukraine and back. Instead of closing its borders to such illegal movements of mercenaries and weapons, Russia continues to carry out war games at Ukraine's eastern border. Alarmingly large numbers of combat- ready troops and armaments are once again amassed on Ukraine's borders. Defence Minister Shoigu's latest statements on the combat readiness of so-called Russian peacekeepers are also highly alarming and once again raise serious questions about Russia's true intentions in the region.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source
“Sources on the ground indicate the tendency of the past days that whenever Ukrainian troops deploy sufficient power to pose a threat to the militants and are in a position to launch strikes against their positions, the illegal armed groups redeploy to a nearby town, exposing civilian populations to the threat of combat and forcing them to flee, as they install their armed vehicles, artillery and Grad rocket launchers in residential areas. The Government's efforts to establish a ceasefire or humanitarian corridors have been repeatedly violated by the insurgents. While Russia is quick to blame the Ukrainian authorities, we are yet to hear a single condemnation by Russia of the reckless acts by the insurgents, including around the crash site of the Malaysian civilian airliner.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source
“The mass graves discovered recently in areas liberated by the Ukrainian forces are a tragic testimony to the degree of lawlessness that marks the insurgent actions. As the Assistant Secretary-General has just testified, the armed insurgents are increasingly better armed and use heavy weaponry, including mortars, anti-aircraft guns, tanks and armoured vehicles. They continue to shoot down helicopters and planes, even at high altitudes, including the downing this week of a Ukrainian military plane and transport helicopter.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source
“Restrictions on movement and the right to peaceful assembly continue. The Crimean Tatar leaders Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov have been barred from entering their homeland by the Russian occupying authorities. The written records of execution orders, authorized and signed personally by the so-called commander-in-chief of the illegal Donetsk People's Republic, Igor Girkin, also known as Strelkov, and of the hearings of self-proclaimed military tribunals convicting people to death have been found in Slovyansk. An illegal militant group, representing no one but itself and headed by foreign passport holders, whose sole authority on the ground stems from the guns that they carry, grants itself the authority to assign and execute extrajudiciary death sentences on an illegally occupied territory.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source
“In the past two weeks, there have been new reports - the Assistant Secretary-General has spoken extensively in that regard - about the situation of journalists and the media. More journalists have gone missing or were harassed in eastern Ukraine. Journalists attempting to report on the crash of Flight MH-17, including representatives of Dagens Nyheter, the BBC, the Daily Beast, Nieuwsuur, Time and Russia Today, were detained and harassed by armed gangs. As of 15 July, 13,381 people have moved from Crimea and a new wave of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is expected during the year, in addition to the already large numbers of IDPs. The harassment and discrimination against ethnic Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and representatives of religious and other minorities continue.”
2014-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7239 (2014) · source