YouSaid · the spoken record

Mutaboba

lines on the record: 320
first: 1999-08-25
most recent: 2012-07-26
sittings or episodes: 25
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I also urge each member of the Council to contribute its part to the efforts being made by the international community to support the elections, programmes aimed at ending impunity, and security sector reform in Guinea-Bissau.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“That joint initiative aims at providing technical assistance and building the capacity of police and law enforcement agencies in ECOWAS member States to improve the prevention of and fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. Guinea-Bissau is one of the pilot countries of this initiative, as I have already mentioned, and the country's international partners should help to make the initiative a success. Finally, through you, Mr. President, I would like to call on the members of the Council and the international community to send a signal to the security forces and the Government of Guinea-Bissau that they are the only parties responsible for protecting and upholding the human rights of the people of Guinea- Bissau.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“At the same time, it is crucial that the international community provide financial and technical support to implement the national SSR programme and the ECOWAS regional action plan to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking, organized crime and drug abuse in West Africa as a region. In that connection, the Department of Political Affairs - through the United Nations Office in West Africa, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Criminal Police Organization - have agreed to work in synergy to support the implementation of the ECOWAS action plan.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“As an integral part of the security sector reform plan, I am currently working with the Government of Guinea- Bissau, from the top down, to develop projects that would use military labour and land allocated to the armed forces to grow and process food, build homes and schools and provide other social services, using military personnel. Those projects will address the need to create a modern republican army endowed with the basic rights to food, shelter and education. The success of such projects will have a positive impact on SSR and on relations between the civilian population and the military. It is expected that, ultimately, the latter will become partners in the attainment of development and political stability in Guinea-Bissau.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“In my assessment, the security environment in the country is volatile and the international community must consider how best to bolster the security of the State, if called upon to do so, in what could be a rapidly changing environment. Thirdly, security sector reform (SSR) is among the key reforms of the State. The focus of national stakeholders is particularly on defence. I regret to inform the Council that they have lost faith in the international community's ability to kick-start the reform. There are indeed programmes ready that need funding. Now is the time to get some quick wins and to start implementing those programmes, which in particular affect the veterans and other servicemen above the age of retirement. 09-29637 There is an urgent need to focus on the basic needs of the military and of the population in general.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“Those pessimistic assessments are an argument for the creation of an international commission of inquiry and the provision of protection for witnesses and national officials involved in such an inquiry. The ECOWAS/CPLP proposal for protection provides a window for action to protect individuals and to guarantee peace and security. However, that international inquiry and protection offer requires a request from the Government, which has not been forthcoming. In contrast, following the 23 November 2008 attack on President Vieira, the caretaker Government in power and civil society asked for protection for top State officials.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“It is important, therefore, that the population see some quick improvements in their lives if democracy is to mean anything to them. Secondly, a sound Commission of Inquiry is essential to end the cycles of violence and impunity in the country. Officials tell me endlessly that they fear that such an inquiry will fail like so many previous ones. The Prosecutor General has, on several occasions, argued that the Commission does not have the necessary material or technical support. He also recently complained about the lack of cooperation from the military in this matter. It is also important to acknowledge that asking investigators and witnesses to carry out their duty and be brave when there is no safety net adds to the distinct possibility of failure.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“While the patience of the people of Guinea- Bissau is seemingly endless, one has to recognize that disillusionment is setting in, as is a feeling of frustration that any promise made quickly evaporates with another cyclical crisis. The people are being asked to go to the polls on 28 June 2009 to elect a President. Many of them question the appropriateness of elections soon after major Violence and before the socio-political and military environment has had time to settle. We support elections as part of the democratic process and respect for the Constitution, but we must take on board those perceptions and be aware that there is a growing disconnect between the population and the democratic process, which, in the eyes of many, treats the people as electoral fodder and gives them nothing in return.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“On socio-economic developments, the teachers' and health workers' unions have taken strike action over salary arrears and other issues. The Government currently owes three months' worth of salaries from 2008 and is processing February salaries. In conclusion, allow me to highlight some key points. First, the people of Guinea-Bissau voted maturely and massively for hope and change in their lives. They were faced with infighting in the governing party prior to the tragic events of March. The Government was then forced by the events of 1 and 2 March to focus its energies on managing the political and military crisis. It is also grappling with a precarious fiscal situation and faces enormous difficulties in clearing salary arrears and tackling the social issues that it promised to resolve.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“The military claimed that his comments were a threat to peace and security. Mr. Infanda appeared before the Prosecutor General on 27 March and was interned in hospital. The former Prime Minister and current President of the Audit Court, Francisco Fadul, was also attacked in his residence in the early hours of 1 April by armed men in military uniforms, after he had made comments on the radio critical of the armed forces. The nominee for Chief of the General Staff condemned the attack but said it was probably carried out by individuals not belonging to the armed forces who wanted to tarnish the reputation of the armed forces. The President of the League of Human Rights went into hiding on 1 April after League staff reported that it had been threatened by an armed individual in plain clothes.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“Regarding the presidential elections, a constitutional crisis was averted after talks between interim President Pereira and parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties, as well as civil society, culminated in broad consensus to hold elections on 28 June 2009. The budget for the elections is nearly $5 million. The precise figure is $4,965,709. The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme has indicated that, including pledges, the current gap stands at $2.5 million. With regard to human rights developments, Pedro Infanda, the lawyer of Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto, was detained by the military and subject to torture on 23 March. Mr. Infanda's arrest followed his public criticism of what he considered to be unconstitutional nominations to the military leadership.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“The CPLP Council of Ministers, meeting in Praia on 25 March, among other things, supported the setting up of an international commission of inquiry, endorsed the ECOWAS proposal on preventive security deployment, if this was requested by the Guinea-Bissau Government, was coordinated by the African Union and received a mandate from the United Nations. However, on 1 April, the Minister of Social Communication and spokesperson of the Government stated that Guinea-Bissau had made no request for such a deployment and highlighted that what was needed was international support for security sector reform. On 6 April, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Jean Ping, announced the appointment of Mr. J 050 Bernardo de Miranda, former Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, as AU Special Envoy for Guinea-Bissau.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“The 26th ministerial-level meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council recommended that ECOWAS mobilize international support, including from the United Nations, for the preventive deployment of military and police to ensure the protection of institutions of the State, Government officials and the electoral process. It also recommended immediate steps to implement the ECOWAS Praia plan of action against drug trafficking, using Guinea-Bissau as one of the pilot countries. I am happy to report that Guinea-Bissau will be the first country to be used in the pilot.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“The Prosecutor General expressed concerns about the lack of security for commission members and witnesses against threats and intimidation and the lack of cooperation from the military with regard to information exchange on the military inquiry. A parallel inquiry has been set up by the military to investigate the assassination of General Tagme Na Waie. The military commission detained a number of military and civilian people. According to the Guinea- Bissau League of Human Rights, some of the detainees show signs of physical mistreatment. On 2 April, the Prosecutor General called on the international community to intercede so that those impediments could be resolved and conditions created for the inquiry to proceed. ECOWAS and the CPLP sent delegations on 3 March to discuss the crisis.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“On 14 March, the Council of Ministers nominated Navy Commander J ose' Zamora Induta as Chief of General Staff and Lieutenant Colonel Antonio N'djai as Vice-Chief of General Staff. The army and air force chiefs of staff, who are more senior in rank than those two men, were passed over. The interim President issued a decree on 4 April to confirm those appointments on an interim basis until the swearing-in of the elected President of the Republic, although the constitution does not give him such a power. The commission of inquiry into the double assassinations started its work on 12 March. The Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice requested technical and financial support.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“Reaction to the assassinations was swift, and several countries and organizations, including the African Union (AU), the Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries (CPLP), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, the International Organization of la Francophonie and the United Nations, and bilateral partners, condemned the assassinations and called for a transparent investigation. They also called for the full restoration of the constitutional order through the holding of presidential elections. Here are just a few words to update members of the Council on developments in Guinea-Bissau since the report was published. On political developments, the state funeral of President Vieira took place on 10 March in an emotional but peaceful atmosphere.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“The ruling party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), won an absolute majority in the legislative elections of November 2008, and President Nino Vieira invited the PAIGC leader, Carlos Gomes, Jr., to form a Government, which took office on 8 January 2009. 09-29637 On the evening of 1 March, a bomb blast killed the Chief of General Staff, General Tagme Na Waie, and a few hours later, the head of State, President Joao Bernardo Vieira, was also assassinated. On 2 March, the Council of Ministers instructed the Prosecutor General to establish a commission of inquiry into both assassinations. On 3 March, the Speaker, Raimundo Pereira, was sworn in as interim President of the Republic, in keeping with the provisions of the constitution, with the main task of organizing the anticipated presidential elections.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“Mr. Mutaboba: I must at the outset apologize for the sound of my voice: it has been affected by travel and by the great deal of talking I have recently done in Guinea-Bissau - but the talking has been useful. The report before the Council, contained in document S/2009/ 169, is the thirty-fourth report of the Secretary-General on developments in Guinea-Bissau and on the activities of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS). Its highlights are that the report reviews the main developments in Guinea-Bissau since the Secretary- General's previous report, of 2 December 2008 (8/2008/751), in particular the formation of the new Government, and the tragic events of March and the aftermath.”
2009-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6103 (2009) · source
“Bout through Rwanda, and should he come to Rwanda at any stage, he will be arrested, like any UNITA member. This is very clear and is known. We are here to implement the Security Council resolutions related to sanctions against UNITA, and we reaffirm our commitment to this. Rwanda will ensure that these war diamonds, wherever they come from, will not be dealt with or processed in Rwanda or by Rwandans. Paragraphs 191, 192 and 193 have nothing to do with any Rwandan traffickers. We know who these traffickers are. I wish to confirm that Rwanda has taken the decision not to cooperate with anyone believed or found to be friends of UNITA. On this note, we would like to wish every success to the monitoring exercise and the sanctions Committee in their work. If they wish to improve the report, we would be very happy to assist them.”
2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source
“We hope - and this also applies to paragraph 191 - that corrections can be made to these paragraphs so that Rwanda can be satisfied that these are factual. If there is an initiative under way or planned concerning the provenance of diamonds, I must say immediately that this project is not on the list of projects of our country - and we have many. This project does not exist yet, but even if it did, Rwandan law does not defend the creation ofthat type of project. Another fact that is important is that the reference to Mr. Victor Bout as having an operational base in Kigali is absolutely wrong. Mr. Bout never resided in Rwanda. We have passed on the information we have received to the effect that Mr. Bout is established somewhere in the Middle East. Rwandan immigration authorities are instructed to look out for any passage of Mr.”
2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source
“It is not clear as to whom or what the contradictions are between. The paragraph goes on to say that the Mechanism "is of the opinion". It may be "of the opinion", but opinion is not fact. There are many things that need to be corrected in the drafting of this report. Rwanda reiterates what it said to the Council last year. Because of the need to withdraw our troops - here I refer again to paragraph 58 - it is true that we used Angolan territory, with the permission of the Angolan authorities, and the mission was a short-term one and very successful. At no stage in that operation was there any question of contacts with Savimbi or with UNITA, and Rwanda does not envisage any such contact in the future.”
2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source
“We hope the expected results will be achieved: that the war machine that continues to ravage Angola, a friendly and brotherly country, will be stopped. Rwanda is mentioned in paragraph 58, paragraph 186, paragraph 191, paragraph 192, paragraph 193 and paragraph 213 of the report. In paragraph 213, there is a tangible and verifiable fact. The other paragraphs, however, are partially or fully speculative. This is a pity, but, nonetheless, we will not withdraw our support for the report because it is correct. We accept and support its conclusions and recommendations, and we endorse it with a view to assisting the Committee and the Monitoring Mechanism to continue their work. However, I believe it is important to make a few points to justify what I have said. In paragraph 58, for example, there is a reference to "contradictory explanations".”
2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source
“Mr. Mutaboba (Rwanda) (spoke in French): I would like to associate myself with earlier speakers in performing two very pleasant tasks. First, I would like to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the way you have conducted the affairs of this Council throughout this month. My congratulations also go to your predecessor, Ambassador Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore. The second pleasant task is to welcome Minister Miranda of Angola to New York. At the same time, I wish to assure the Council that the Government and the people of Rwanda have sympathized with the Government and the people of Angola throughout the war it has been waging against Savimbi and UNITA, the disastrous effects of which on daily life are still being felt to this day. We welcome the report introduced by Ambassador Richard Ryan. We commend and congratulate him.”
2001-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4283 (2001) · source
“Peace will then mean more to people and to the world. Assistance for development in post-conflict countries such as Rwanda is a necessity, and such assistance has rightly been proposed by reports on Rwanda, Srebrenica and other situations. Failing to reduce poverty and ignorance will breed injustice and result in a fragile peace, and we will have to start all over again. From this Chamber and the Secretariat of our Organization, we need strategies that can help us to exit in a dignified manner.”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Strategies are defined by clear objectives and mandates, by adequate logistics and by political will, the lack of which has caused, and is still causing, repeated failures. Yes, we should exit. But the Council must ask itself whether it has done what it had to do and whether it is satisfied with its achievements. If the answer is "no", then I am afraid that all strategies ought to be thrown on the table and revised. The Brahimi report undoubtedly shows that the situations in Srebrenica and Rwanda could have been avoided altogether. My delegation hopes that, even though our loved ones cannot be brought back, the lessons learned will at least enable us to devise sound strategies to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. Words alone do not serve any purpose. They have to be followed by actions.”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“On the contrary, it will lead us to successes, and that is what we collectively want to see happening, with everyone's assistance wherever the action has to take place. Discrepancies in our recent history naturally lead to double standards and limited popularity of the work carried out by our Organization. While congratulating the Security Council for the rapidity with which peacekeeping forces have been put together for Ethiopia and Eritrea, I wish to remind everyone that it is occurring well after Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Much as none of the peacekeeping forces can expect to enjoy a soft landing in any given country, it is certain that with good strategies, those forces can avoid the worst and do the bestjob of all.”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“It is imperative that members have and show the same sense of responsibility in whatever you are doing in this Chamber and in each peacekeeping situation you are called to mount and lead to a successful exit. To do so you need right strategies, and right strategies stem from clear thinking, clear and achievable mandates, adequate logistics and, most of all, a sustained political will to take the entire membership of our Organization on board. If a member suggests or decides to go here or there, just ask yourselves: For what purpose? What do you want to achieve? Why this and not what we agreed upon before? This systematic way of thinking, step by step and phase by phase, cannot lead us to disasters or failures.”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“However, things do not always happen as they should, and when they do, consequent decisions are not taken to make sure that such a rich background of experience can serve as a basis for not repeating the same mistakes. There are many examples to illustrate this. The "no exit without strategy" debate therefore comes as a good opportunity for all members to tell each other the truth and nothing but the truth, and to teach or learn from one another for practical and obvious reasons. If there is an exit to refer to, then it should refer to "let's go, job well done", and not refer to a negative and cowardly ending of saying "Thank God we have an easy way out. Let's get out fast".”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“This is yet again another opportunity to talk of an important matter that is relevant to the historical successes and failures of our Organization in general and of this Council in particular. My delegation wishes to congratulate you, Mr. President, for your inspiring paper and for calling this debate. My delegation believes that this topic had been conveniently ignored or left out during previous meetings of the Council, not because members did not think it has meaning, but probably because the topic itself carries with it the need for a lot of introspection and therefore more responsibilities to align and failures to account for. From peacekeeping to peace-building and from peace-building to nation-building, a lot of things are meant to happen and decisions must be taken.”
2000-11-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4223Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Human rights abuses, social injustice, poverty and bad governance are some of the factors that should be examined in order to tackle conflict on several fronts." In conclusion, the Rwanda Government's commitment to increase the participation of women in creating and promoting peace should guide the Council and its membership to adequately address the issue of peace and security by involving women. They have experiences to share and a clear, strong will to destroy all myths and prejudices around and against them. The Council needs to be gender-sensitive as many of us here have become, but also, and especially, needs to act to bring women to the negotiating table in order to help us to reach the lasting peace and security for which we long.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“It is now time to bridge this gap because without the involvement of our mothers, sisters and daughters within and outside our borders, we cannot find lasting peace. For a long time, women have been relegated to the periphery of political activities. Governments have to put in place policy instruments and institutions which will enable women to play an important role in the area of peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution It is not only wars that undermine peace.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“In the search for peace and security for all, one of the best strategies for conflict prevention is to extend the role of women as peacemakers from the village council in the hinterland of any given country Member of this Organization, to this very Chamber where peace and security are supposed to be ensured for all, without any distinction. The distance to be covered seems too long, but we are sure to reach the final objective if we empower women and take them on board. As rightly expressed in Africa by President Kagame on 25 June 2000, when opening the conference entitled Women as Partners for Peace, "The twentieth century failed to acknowledge the role of women in conflict resolution and the search for peace. Yet everybody knows that when there is war, the heaviest toll falls on women and children.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Secondly, a peace village was built by the Rwandan Women's Alliance and Solidarity (ASOFERWA), which supports genocide widows; the village is dedicated to and named after the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Thirdly, because of such peace initiatives the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization awarded Rwandan women a prize for peace and tolerance in 1997. Fourthly, in a bid to contribute in the area of resolving conflicts and promoting peace in the region, Rwanda hosted the international conference to which I referred earlier, under the auspices of the OAU and the Economic Commission for Africa. This Rwandan experience and many others in the region and beyond speak to the Council and should be given attention.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“It was organized by the current Ambassador of the United States to Rwanda and his extended team, to whom we express our sincere thanks and congratulations. The conclusions and recommendations of all these conferences whether in Kampala, Dakar, Johannesburg, Kigali or Windhoek, should be translated into action to make sure that women get what they deserve and on time. In a bid to promote peace and security, Rwandan women have undertaken various other important activities that are worth mentioning and from which we could learn. First, a programme called Action Campaign for Peace was launched by Pro-Femme Twese Hamwe, an umbrella organization that brings together Rwandan women's non-governmental organizations.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Peace and security are the prime responsibility of this body, and women have a right to be involved, especially where we men have failed. They have proved they can do it. Let us involve them and empower them. Namibia has done a great job in promoting advocacy for women, and we once again congratulate Namibia and its leadership. Rwanda, on her part, has hosted two international conferences on women and peace. The first one, the Pan-African Conference of Peace, Gender and Development, was organized in March 1997, and the Kigali Declaration was adopted under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The second one, which took place in June, was entitled Women as Partners for Peace.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Against this picture of continued inaction by the international community, and this body in particular, as regards the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and the region - although I know efforts are being made - women have come together to form associations nationally and regionally and, with the assistance of our Government, have established women's councils and have elected representatives from villages to the national level for the first time ever in the history of Rwanda. Peace-building is high on the agenda of women in their various development activities. We encourage them to continue because they are right and because it is the right thing to do. Women have indeed understood that there is no possible development activity if there is no peace at home and across our borders.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“The international community should encourage and contribute to this effort as a genuine search for peace and security rather than keeping quiet and dwelling on non-priority issues. We take this opportunity to thank the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the assistance given to us and to the returnees who are being reintegrated into their societies, as over a million others have been since November 1996.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Rwanda is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to stop them from killing and raping more innocent women, girls and children. Rwanda is there to get them and many of those taken hostages back. It does so within the framework of the Lusaka Agreement framework, as negotiated and agreed by all parties, welcomed by the Council and, thus far, not changed by any United Nations resolution, as wrongly stated by the representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In September alone - in one month - we were blessed to get back to Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo 17,000 of our people - women, children and men. And we will continue to get them back to where they belong, within the law.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Adding insult to injury, the agony is still not over for those women who were victims of rape as a weapon of genocide. As witnesses at the International Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, they are indeed compelled to tell their stories in an all-male environment - the judges, the interpreters and everyone else are all men. More attention should be drawn to this situation and it should be swiftly addressed by the Council if peace and security are for all, including women victims of rape as a weapon of genocide. Let competent women - and there are many - be recruited and do the job. We cannot accept double standards even if we have to live with them. My delegation reiterates that the presence of such criminals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to be a threat to the security of our people and to our sovereignty.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“They are killing and raping more women and girls across borders, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Burundi and elsewhere, under the silence of many who, contrariwise, should arrest them according to several Security Council resolutions and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide that we all signed. Instead, these criminals curiously still enjoy the world's attention, especially those in Arusha and in Rwanda's prisons or in big cities of the world. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they cease to be what they are - meaning criminals, rapists and killers - the day they agree to join the ranks of the Kabila forces and his allies, who are creating more havoc when peace and security are at stake. And this body seems powerless to take timely and decisive action.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“The Security Council has done well, but it could do better; it can help women in knocking walls down and building bridges between people and cultures. In post-genocide Rwanda, women still carry the burden of responsibility and caring for their children, orphans, the elderly and husbands in prisons. Women have assumed the entire role of breadwinners and are shouldering multiple challenges despite the fact that 54 per cent are illiterate, and the majority of them live below the poverty line. Those who made women widows in Rwanda, in Burundi and in the Balkans and those who raped them and left them with infections, diseases and consequences of all sorts, including unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS, are still at large and active.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Such solidarity is gradually shaped and built from the early days of our lives, and we owe this acquisition to mothers - and fathers of course - whoever we may be and wherever we may be from. The focal point for all family life is the wife, the mother, the "she citizen" of the world. Unfortunately, what she offers and gives is not always what she gets in return when wars and calamities break out. The time is right for her to have a say in this at all levels and in all institutions. All hardships and abuses befall her, but she never gives up. Stories from Rwanda teach us all that when political and ethnic tensions cause conflict, women have come as one to suggest building bridges rather than walls.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“My delegation joins others in congratulating you, Mr. President, on calling this debate on women and peace and security. We also appreciate statements made earlier by Ms. Angela King and Ms. Noeleen Heyzer. On this subject we are happy to share the thoughts of the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame, and all the members of the Cabinet, especially the Minister for Gender and Women in Development, who all strongly speak out in favour of empowering women for durable peace and sustainable development. Peace is a prerequisite for sustainable development, and women have a lot to oflbn In most African traditional societies and modern societies throughout the world, solidarity with one another has been the best chance for peace and security.”
2000-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption2 (2000) · source
“Self-criticism should be accepted as a good means of reminding one another that we all care and that every Member of this Organization counts. Catering to all and not just to some will lead us in a more collective way of addressing world issues as they arise and dealing with them appropriately for the sake of international peace and security. This should be a constant and consistent modus operandi for this Council, for which my delegation wishes to reiterate its full support.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I wish to refer to the example of the reports commissioned by this body: the Srebrenica report and the Carlsson report. Both clearly show how the Council could have prevented what happened. Since the day the Carlsson report was deposited with the Security Council, no action has been taken and nothing has been said regarding the recommendations in the report. There has been total silence. Lessons to be learned cannot be conveniently avoided or further delayed, but should assist in preventing similar mistakes from happening elsewhere. But all signs, actions and reactions show that we still have a long way to go in taking seriously the preventive measures needed to ensure peace and security in the world.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Kosovo is another example among many. Preventive diplomacy has its merits and a lack of political will, often ascribed to the international community simply because we do not dare to point a finger at those responsible, has become, unfortunately, the excuse of the century. The political will is there, but it is shaped by the interests of the actors. You therefore cannot prevent conflicts without addressing the issue of double standards, because peace and security are as contagious as conflicts. You harvest what you have sown. We prevent on the basis of what we know. The knowledge we have becomes the source of inspiration for us to work with and to use imaginatively and from all angles. Failure to use our imagination and collectively to take corrective action will hamper the future prevention of conflicts.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“These series of events have set precedents and we should keep them in mind as our daily checks and balances, rather than reacting, and reacting loosely and defensively, when they are raised and when it is too late. We need to support each other, but we must first accept such change under the leadership of the Security Council. Maintaining peace and security in the world is nothing but keeping momentum. Billions of bits of information are generated every day for policymakers and decision-takers to work with. What counts is not the volume of information produced, but rather what you do with the information and how you do it. The tragedies of Rwanda and Srebrenica could have been prevented on the basis of the information available. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today could have been avoided before it even broke out.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Under paragraph 1 of Article 1 of the Charter, also quoted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning, this Organization has "to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace". Where collective measures have had to be taken to prevent disasters, divisions have occurred among members - we are all human - and where measures have been taken, they have been limited to the mere adoption of resolutions without action. Where blatant evidence of threats to peace and security has been brought to light, action has either not been taken in a timely manner or has been taken shyly and indecisively. This is a grim reality.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“This should incite it not to shy away, but to do more and better. My delegation believes that such an imbalance of achievements is due to the conservatism of approaches, as if the world had not evolved since the creation of our Organization. People are sometimes scared of being told the truth and of innovations and therefore bluntly refuse to recognize their errors and to rectify their course of action. Much as those who generate conflicts do so in attempting to cling to power and vested interests, this organ's membership sometimes cannot let go of the principle of preserving the status quo, no matter what the consequences. Resistance to change is unfortunate and should not be taken lightly if we genuinely want to change, and for the better, in our endeavours to prevent armed conflicts.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Thank you, Sir, for giving me the floor. I also take this opportunity to welcome you to New York and to extend our warm congratulations to you and your delegation on your assumption of the presidency of this organ and for putting this important item on the agenda of the Council. The United Nations Charter gives us all sorts of guidelines in searching for and maintaining peace and guaranteeing international security the world over. However, experience shows that the Security Council, despite its numerous efforts - if efforts have indeed been collectively made - has for the most part failed to prevent the armed conflicts that disrupt peace and security in the world. While it has recorded success - success that we commend- the number of failures goes far beyond the number of successful achievements.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174Resumption1 (2000) · source