YouSaid · the spoken record

Neville Melvin Gertze

lines on the record

21

first

2020-07-21

most recent

2021-03-11

sittings or episodes

3

sources

un-security-council

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

1. “While we appreciate the importance of this resolution, we can reduce food insecurity only if it is implemented alongside other instruments designed to end conflict.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

2. “Acute migration is affecting food security in many parts of the world, which poses a direct challenge to Government legitimacy and resilience. Migration brings its own challenges, including the emergence of water rights and land disputes, which contribute to food insecurity and precipitate conflicts. Investment in water, climate adaptation and mitigation should therefore be viewed as an investment in the maintenance of international peace and security.S/2021/250 Namibia has no objection to a United Nations focal point to help guide the implementation of resolution 2417 (2018), but the resolution is meant to ensure the smooth delivery of aid to civilians, to protect humanitarian personnel and to safeguard international law — not to resolve conflicts.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

3. “Peace cannot reign with weak or non-existent peacebuilding measures, or when these remain unimplemented due to the lack of political will. To fend off food insecurity and their pernicious consequences and to end conflicts, fragile and deteriorating States should be assisted in order to build their capacity to preserve their sovereignty. Considering the degree of interdependence in the world today, assistance rendered to strengthen any State’s institutions should be regarded as a pre-emptive, indirect manner to address food insecurity that — in one way or another — could otherwise affect other States in future. Climate change remains a serious challenge that directly impacts every sector of the economy. As such, water cooperation is all the more important. The world is witnessing the interlinkages between water and population migration.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

4. “Humanitarian personnel who are assisting those experiencing acute food insecurity must be protected, and measures must be put in place and implemented to ensure that aid is delivered in a timely way and without hindrances. Humanitarian personnel do not cause conflict, and neither are they agents of conflict. Namibia therefore condemns all attacks on humanitarian personnel and civilian infrastructure, as they are merely the victims of the disagreements of others. Early warning signs for conflicts, if ignored, may lead to the evolution and unfolding of more diverse risks in the form of political intolerance, deliberate disruption of the electoral process, incitement to violence and conflict, among others.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

5. “As such, in some cases the eruption of conflict cannot be attributed to any measure of poor governance, but rather to external influence in a country’s domestic affairs for political reasons, regardless of how that influence is framed and projected. In such cases, the Security Council has an obligation to pay attention not only to the manifestation of the conflict but also to the underlying causes. The emergence and persistence of conflicts and food insecurity challenge the moral conscience of humankind to extend love and show care to the displaced and other affected people. It also puts diplomacy to the test. In that connection, His Excellency Mr. Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, keeps reminding Namibians that the failure of diplomacy is the beginning of war.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

6. “Namibia is pleased to be participating in this high-level open debate on conflict and food security. Food insecurity, especially in conflict areas of the world, features prominently and repeatedly in one report of the Secretary-General after another. In some cases, food insecurity arises as a result of conflict. It is therefore clear that in order for conflict-driven food insecurity to end or to diminish, conflicts must stop. For that to happen, peace, dialogue and reconciliation should be nurtured and sustained. However, those are not the only solutions. Strong rule of law, improved governance and putting the interests of the people above personal interests also play an indispensable role in conflict prevention, mediation and resolution. Not all conflicts are the same. For example, some are driven by power, others by ideology.”

   2021-03-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/250 (2021) · source

7. “In addition, we should broaden the space for women’s participation in peace processes, including training women mediators and advocating gender-equality measures as critical to security policies and practices. To this end, Namibia will be launching the international centre for women in peace and security, on 31 October 2020, as we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). The centre will focus on, among other things, research aspects of mediation and negotiations, as well as capacity-building and supporting women on issues related to gender-based violence.”

   2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

8. “We should develop strategies to promote women’s participation in decision-making, including engagement with national electoral systems and political parties to provide an equal playing field for women candidates. There is also a need to support leadership development for women and girls so that we assist them in cultivating their political potential and professional skills. There is need for increased integration of gender in national planning and budgeting as part of our strategies to train national officials to execute plans and programmes, and thereby strengthen the abilities of women to advocate for decision- making positions and political leadership in general.”

   2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

9. “However, these gains are not enough, there is more work to be done, not just nationally but globally as well. As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to spread, it poses an even more severe threat in conflict zones. Fighting the virus must not distract us from the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and neither must it allow impunity for violations of that policy. In the context of conflict, therefore, our call for action must be to ensure that, as we focus on and bring all our energy to the battle against COVID-19, we must still keep a clear lens on peacekeeping operations. The missing piece for further implementation is political will.”

   2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

10. “With 23 per cent representation, Namibia is among the countries with the highest proportion of women in the defence force in the Southern African Development Community region. Regionally, the African Union (AU) has spearheaded several initiatives, including the launch of the continental framework for reporting and monitoring on the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda, which was a huge milestone in advancing the realization of the transformative goals of resolution 1325 (2000) in Africa. The framework demonstrates the continued commitment of the AU to fully implementing the women and peace and security agenda in Africa. In S/2020/1084 S/2020/1084 addition, over 30 African countries to date have adopted national action plans on the women and peace and security agenda.”

    2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

11. “At that time, we envisioned that the agenda would be adopted by all Governments and that, overall, we would see an increase in women’s participation in peacekeeping, peacemaking and in general decision-making at the political level. Indeed, the basic goal has been attained. In Namibia, various policies and legislative frameworks have been enacted, such as the Defence Policy of 2010, the Namibian Defence Force Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan 2000-2005, the National Gender Policy 2010-2020 and, most recently, Namibia’s first national action plan on women and peace and security, which was launched in 2019. These frameworks and policies have translated into tangible gains for women in decision-making and in the security sector.”

    2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

12. “Although, at the time, the agenda was not the most popular, Namibia managed to garner the support of civil society, women’s organizations and many Member States, and in October 2000, under the presidency of Namibia, the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security. Resolution 1325 (2000) formally drew global attention to the unrecognized, underutilized and undervalued contributions of women in preventing war, building peace and helping rebuild societies after conflict. The United Nations acknowledged that the protection of women and the prevention of violence against women and children could no longer be left to men alone.”

    2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

13. “From early on, it was recognized that women could contribute to the liberation movement as teachers, doctors and fighters, and could certainly take a seat at the table when peace negotiations took place. Namibian women in exile played their part in bringing international attention to the colonial situation in Namibia, and engaged with various partners, including the United Nations. It followed that, by the time Namibia joined the Security Council in 1999, we were ready to introduce the historic concept that women can and must contribute to peace processes. The idea was premised on women’s experience in the liberation struggle and also informed by regional and international experiences of women.”

    2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

14. “Namibia thanks you, Sir, for organizing this open debate on the issue of women and peace and security. We are encouraged, as always, by the overwhelming support for this open debate. When Namibia was campaigning to join the Security Council back in 1998, it was determined to make a positive and lasting contribution to international peace. At that time, Namibia had only been independent for eight years, and our experience in the liberation struggle certainly informed the decision to pursue progressive policies for the maintenance of world peace. During Namibia’s liberation struggle, women played various important roles and were not necessarily seen as victims or as always needing protection.”

    2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source

15. “If any form of annexation of the West Bank were to take place, Namibia would urge the Council to act urgently in response to any such action that would not only violate international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, the Fourth Geneva Convention and Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, but would also represent a threat to regional and international peace and security. I conclude by reiterating Namibia’s long-standing and fervent support for, and solidarity with, the Palestinian people. The people of Palestine have fundamental rights to self-determination and independence. We must achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians, with the establishment of the two-State solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

16. “I would like to express my deep appreciation for the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Its provision of vital services represents a stabilizing element in a region that continues to be the victim of violence. The importance of the Agency has only been reinforced through the essential emergency assistance it has provided to help Palestinian refugees confront the COVID-19 pandemic. I call on the Security Council to remain dedicated to its Charter obligations by upholding its responsibilities and duties.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

17. “COVID-19 represents a dire challenge for the Palestinian people. Namibia is particularly concerned about the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the health system continues to face immense challenges. As of April 2020, 44 per cent of essential medicines and 30 per cent of essential medical supplies in the Strip had less than a month’s stock remaining. The COVID-19 pandemic has also damaged Gaza’s economy across all sectors. While the Palestinian people experience the same effects and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic as the rest of the world, it should be recalled that their Government’s ability to respond to its effects in the same way as an independent, sovereign State is far more challenged.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

18. “As the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process warned in his briefing to the Security Council on 24 June: “Annexation could irrevocably alter the nature of Israeli-Palestinian relations. It risks upending more than a quarter of a century of international efforts in support of a future viable Palestinian State living in peace, security and mutual recognition with the State of Israel.” (S/2020/596, annex 2) It also represents a threat to regional and international peace and security. We therefore call on and urge the Israeli Government to refrain from taking such steps. We also call on the international community to remain committed to the rule of international law and all United Nations resolutions, particularly resolution 2334 (2016), and to the international compromise on a just solution for the Palestine question.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

19. “While settlement expansion and the destruction of Palestinian-owned properties represent an obstacle to peace, the greatest threat to the two-State solution is that of annexation of parts of the West Bank. Namibia is extremely concerned at the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Netanyahu to begin annexation of parts of the West Bank. Any annexation would have serious implications in terms of international law, the two-State solution and the prospects for a negotiated, sustainable peace, as reiterated by the Secretary-General. Taking unilateral steps in any conflict will not bring about peace and stability. It will only create further division and tensions.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

20. “As the world battles the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Israel continues with its settlement-expansion policy as well as the destruction of Palestinian structures, displacing men, women and children. I take this opportunity to remind Israel that settlements are illegal under international law and represent an obstacle to peace and the two-State solution. I also take this opportunity to welcome the 9 June decision of the Israeli High Court of Justice to strike down a 2017 law that enabled widespread expropriation of private Palestinian land and the retroactive legalization, under Israeli law, of thousands of housing units in Israeli settlements.”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source

21. “I congratulate Germany on its assumption the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July 2020, and I thank you, Sir, for organizing this quarterly debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. I would also like to thank Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov for his comprehensive and detailed briefing. My delegation aligns itself with the statements submitted by the delegation of Azerbaijan, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, and by the Permanent Representative of Senegal, in his capacity as Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (annexes 20 and 24, respectively).”

    2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source