YouSaid · the spoken record

Nusseibeh

lines on the record: 1,026
first: 2014-04-25
most recent: 2023-12-29
sittings or episodes: 151
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

“What we and 121 countries are advocating for may be the harder road, but history warns us of the consequences of not taking it.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“As we work on responding to the General Assembly’s clear call on this body to live up to its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations, we should also always keep in mind the dying words of the dead so that their memories are a blessing to us. I would like to quote today an Arab poet, Heba Abu Nada, a Palestinian woman killed in Khan Yunis several days ago: “My friend circle diminishes, turning into little coffins scattered everywhere. As missiles launch, I can’t grasp the fleeting moments with my friends. These aren’t just names; they are reflections of us, with a unique face and identity.” We may have failed the dead, but we must channel our sorrow into saving the living. The time to reverse course is running out.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“Israeli settlers are escalating their attacks against Palestinian civilians and forcing their displacement. Those attacks must be prevented by the State of Israel. Across the region, there have been several credible warnings of wider escalation. The drums of war are beating. Taking those warnings seriously begins with stopping the war in Gaza. We do not serve Israel’s security by enabling it to go on. We cannot reverse the heinous 7 October attacks by condoning this war, in which civilians are paying the price. Ignoring what could happen day after day will have devastating consequences, not only for Israelis and Palestinians but for the prospects of peace and stability in our region.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported warnings from Israel to immediately evacuate Al-Quds Hospital, which hosts hundreds of patients, including newborn babies in incubators. Around 12,000 civilians are also seeking refuge there right now, as we sit here in this Chamber in New York speaking to each other again and again, debating the language of our humanitarian draft resolution and response. An evacuation order in those conditions is cruel and reckless, and so is our delay as a Security Council. All of Gaza’s civilian population is at risk from the escalating hostilities, as are the Israeli and international hostages wrongly taken by Hamas. While our eyes have been trained on Gaza, the occupied West Bank has not been spared from violence either.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“As Foreign Minister Vieira said, we must ensure that safe, sustained and at-scale humanitarian aid reaches Gaza now and that access to electricity, clean water and fuel is restored now. The shut-down of cellular and Internet services over the weekend as part of the offensive meant that wounded civilians were searching for help in the dark. As we have heard today, there have been over 76 attacks on health-care facilities, including 20 hospitals and clinics damaged or destroyed. More than 650,000 people are sheltering in UNRWA facilities. Let me be absolutely clear on this point: those sites are protected by international humanitarian law. Announcements that they are targets or warnings for them to be evacuated, do not — I repeat, do not — alter their protected status. We must see the rescission of dangerous, unrealistic evacuation orders.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“Will we help them? The number of Palestinian children killed in just three weeks of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza exceeds the total number of children killed in conflicts worldwide in each of the last four years. As Ms. Russell so eloquently said, that should stain our moral conscience if nothing else does. Children do deserve our special protection and are entitled to it today. If we lean on the General Assembly’s moral authority in other settings, we must also respect it in this one. Indeed, members of the Security Council have repeatedly expressed their concerns about the fraying of the international order. The Council, ignoring the expressed will of the majority of the world, may be what breaks it. We need a ceasefire now.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“Last Friday, 121 countries, representing an overwhelming majority of the world, issued an unambiguous call for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza. They stood up for the humanitarian imperative, human rights, international law and most importantly the self- evident truth that Palestinian life is precious, equal and deserving of the full protection of the law. We have heard many say that the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza are not Hamas, that this is not a war against them, and, while those are welcome words, it is time that action reflected them. The more than 8,000 people who have been killed in Gaza — and as we have heard today, 70 per cent of whom were women and children — were surely not all Hamas. Nearly 1,000 children are missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble. They are not Hamas.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“Mr. President, thank you for your presence here with us in New York today and for the special dedication that Brazil has shown to peace in our region. I also pay special tribute to our briefers today and to their teams’ dedicated work in the most unimaginable circumstances on the ground in the Gaza Strip. I was very shaken by Commissioner-General Lazzarini’s recent message to his staff over the weekend in which he said that he is constantly hoping that this hell on Earth will soon come to an end. I want to extend the United Arab Emirates’ deep condolences for the 64 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) workers killed in this war. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for the life-saving work that the United Nations does every day around the world, and we have failed to protect them.”
2023-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9462 (2023) · source
“The needs I mentioned must be the priorities for any resolution adopted by the Council. Furthermore, we cannot be silent on the question of forced displacement and the evacuation order. Crucially, the Gaza Strip is occupied territory. There should be no ambiguity about that. We still hope that forging consensus is possible, but it is clear it will require more work. The stakes are too high. Civilians in Gaza cannot be abandoned. The Security Council must step up, as we heard clearly from countless foreign ministers just yesterday, and that is the work to which the United Arab Emirates will turn now.”
2023-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9453 (2023) · source
“The votes of the United Arab Emirates today were made strictly on the merit of the draft resolutions submitted to the Security Council (S/2023/792 and S/2023/795) and how they tangibly respond to the dire situation in Gaza. We know what the most pressing humanitarian needs are. The United Nations and non-governmental organizations have made them very clear — an immediate humanitarian ceasefire; the release of all hostages; safe, sustained and at-scale humanitarian access; fuel for hospitals and desalination plants; water; and adherence to international humanitarian law. Yesterday we heard dozens of statements imploring the Council to assign the same value to Palestinian life as it does to Israeli life. We cannot allow any equivocation on that point — there is no hierarchy of civilian lives.”
2023-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9453 (2023) · source
“The United Arab Emirates looks forward to hosting the next gathering of the quintet to discuss how we can continue to support the people of Somalia. Now is the moment to redouble our support for the significant progress made so far in also enacting economic reforms that can boost the country’s recovery. The people of Somalia have the resolve and the ingenuity to own the solutions to the challenges they face and to pave the way towards a society that reflects their aspirations. The United Arab Emirates will continue to offer its unwavering support.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“During the period between 2018 and 2023, assistance from the United Arab Emirates to Somalia amounted to $197 million. Thirdly, addressing the immediate challenges facing Somalia must not distract us from tackling the country’s long-term sustainable development. Both in its individual capacity and as a member of the quintet for Somalia, the United Arab Emirates remains committed to the country’s long-term security and stabilization. The Government’s stabilization and reconciliation programme outlines areas that urgently need significant attention and investment, key among them Somalia’s economic recovery and development. We firmly believe that economic development is a powerful peacebuilding tool that will consolidate its security gains.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“We must also remain vigilant with regard to the regional ramifications of Al-Shabaab, including its ties with other terrorist networks, and we should continue supporting the Government of Somalia’s cooperation with its neighbours to address that threat. Secondly, efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change must be scaled up. Somalia has been facing regular disasters fuelled by climate change, ranging from recurrent droughts that affect food security and exacerbate poverty to the recent floods that displaced nearly a quarter of 1 million people. Such events aggravate an already dire humanitarian situation and can become a driver of conflict. That is why the United Arab Emirates has been partnering with the Somali Government in helping to alleviate the humanitarian needs on the ground.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“Somalia has taken international concerns about the fight against Al-Shabaab seriously, including in developing accountability mechanisms to trace weapons systems, which is a very encouraging sign. It is now up to the international community and the Council to fulfil their end of the bargain. Sanctions are effective only if they adapt to the shifting dynamics on the ground. The United Arab Emirates believes that the current situation necessitates the lifting of the arms embargo on the Federal Government of Somalia. Alongside African troop-contributing countries, we support Somalia’s call for a three-month pause on the withdrawal of ATMIS, which will allow much-needed time to design appropriate strategies to prevent the possibility of a security vacuum ripe for exploitation by Al-Shabaab.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Somali National Army have shown great determination in working to dislodge Al-Shabaab from its strongholds across the country, but we are all too aware that its terrorist activities continue to pose a grave threat to Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa. Just last Monday, the killing of a journalist by Al-Shabaab during a suicide attack at a restaurant in Mogadishu was yet another reminder of the need to remain vigilant. In recent months, threatened by the Somali Government’s offensive, Al-Shabaab has responded by ramping up violence. The next steps in countering Al-Shabaab are clear. There is a need for a coordinated strategy that sustains the ongoing military offensive to protect Somalis while also helping the Government of Somalia stabilize its territorial gains.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“As we meet today, the country’s stabilization continues apace and efforts to address terrorism have been effective, presenting an opportunity to consolidate lasting peace in Somalia. It is a tribute to the vision of Somalia’s leadership and the strength of its people. There is still much work to be done to sustain that momentum, however, as Somalia seeks to rid itself of Al-Shabaab and jump-start its recovery. In that context, I would like to make three key points. First, the fight against terrorism must be sustained and follow the lead of the Federal Government of Somalia.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“I would like to begin by thanking today’s briefers, Special Representative Catriona Laing and Ambassador Mohammed El-Amine Souef. We also welcome Somalia’s participation in this meeting. Over the past two decades and against the odds, Somalia has proved to be a great example of resilience and of the potential of regional and international partnerships. I would therefore like to start by reiterating our support to the people of Somalia, the Federal Government of Somalia and both the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Thanks to their collective efforts, and despite the challenges the country still faces, Somalia has continued its inspiring upward trajectory.”
2023-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9446 (2023) · source
“The past 10 days cannot be undone, but our future remains before us to determine. How we act now to preserve our shared humanity, ensure respect for international humanitarian law and alleviate the dire suffering of the people of Gaza will determine that course.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“We really appreciate the diplomatic efforts of Egypt and the United States in that regard. In particular, we commend Egypt’s efforts to ensure safe humanitarian access in Gaza through the Rafah crossing and to convene a summit of world leaders to address the deteriorating situation. We hope that today’s announcement by the United States and President Biden that Israel has agreed to allow humanitarian access via Rafah will result in the rapid and safe delivery of aid. There is no time to waste. Leaders across the region and the international community should focus all possible efforts to secure a cessation of hostilities. As Mr. Wennesland said, the only way we can end these cycles of conflict is to rededicate all efforts towards a long-term political solution.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“The United Arab Emirates has opened an air bridge to transport the much-needed supplies, but without firm guarantees from all the parties that the trucks and civilians gathering to receive aid will not be targeted, they remain out of the hands of those who so desperately need them. The Government of the United Arab Emirates has announced an additional $70 million in aid for Gaza. Those protections must be put into place. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating by the hour, and we must be under no illusions — we are staring into the abyss of what is now not only a conflict in Gaza but a widening regional conflagration. We therefore call today for a regional and international focus from the Council and the international community, as well as renewed efforts to secure the de-escalation and cessation of hostilities on the ground.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“We need an immediate cessation of hostilities, as called for in the draft resolution that failed to be adopted today. We need the unconditional release of all the hostages — I repeat, all of them — being held and their humane treatment. That must happen now. We need safe and unhindered access for all humanitarian aid workers and for medical aid, food, water and fuel. I am sure many Security Council members are disturbed by the images of civilians in Gaza boiling toilet water to give to their families. The reconnection of electricity, water and telecommunications must happen, and the protection of all civilians must be our priority. At Egypt’s border with Gaza, life-saving humanitarian aid is piling up.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“Hospitals and medical personnel must at all times be protected, and they must never, ever, be the target of an attack. Nothing can justify yesterday’s attack. We condemn it and call for an impartial, independent and transparent investigation into that tragedy and for those responsible to be held accountable. Gaza has been under siege for 10 days, during which a stranglehold has been placed around the necks of the civilians there. The descriptions of the humanitarian situation on the ground from both Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Wennesland give us a sense of what hell on Earth might look like. The steps that need to be taken are clear and practical. This morning, the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed some of those steps with the Secretary-General.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“The United Nations system is not equipped for such a response. There are reports of bombs being dropped on the United Nations schools and buildings to which people have been running in search of safety. As Under-Secretary-General Griffiths made clear in his statement, the humanitarian situation on the ground is now catastrophic. The evacuation order for more than 1 million people to try to move to safety is, in those circumstances, an impossible demand that fails to comply with international law. Yesterday the situation got worse. The world watched the unthinkable happen: an attack targeted against the Al Ahli Hospital that resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people. There is no ambiguity under international law with regard to providing care to the wounded and sick.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“I would like to thank our briefers, Mr. Martin Griffiths and Mr. Tor Wennesland, for their invaluable remarks and insights today and for the fantastic work they are doing in very difficult circumstances. The United Arab Emirates explanation of vote this morning on draft resolution S/2023/773 outlined its overall position on the matter before us (see S/PV.9442), but in this briefing, which we called for together with China and the Russian Federation, we really just wanted to focus concretely on the humanitarian situation, which is getting worse by the day. For nearly two weeks, we have borne witness to the relentless and indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza following the heinous attack on Israel on 7 October. As a result, 1 million people in Gaza are now displaced and more than 500,000 people are sheltering in United Nations facilities.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9443 (2023) · source
“We cannot doom millions of people to misery because diplomacy is hard. We must keep trying — again and again and again. We must recognize that, by continuing to fail to respond to the Palestinian people’s legitimate aspirations for a country in their homeland, we fuel this unrelenting cycle of violence and hatred. Let us not fail this test — for the sake of Israelis, for the sake of Palestinians and for the sake of all the peoples of the Middle East. The meeting rose at 11.10 a.m.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“In a conversation with a journalist about the horror inflicted on this family, Yakov recalled that “in Gaza, too, families are mourning their children”. He described Israelis and Palestinians as “two nations with one father” and added that “we can reach true peace, and I am praying for this to happen. Amen to the hostages’ return”. Twenty-two-year-old Dunia Abu Rahma, an architectural student in Gaza, is one of the thousands of civilians fleeing south today. Last night, she told CNN that, up until recently, all she had been thinking about was her graduation project. Now all she thinks about is how to be safe. The test is whether or not we sustain that hope for peace that shines even through a parent’s unspeakable anguish and through a child’s aspiration to just be normal like the rest of us.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“Along with our Israeli and American partners, we sought a new Middle East where coexistence and cooperation deliver prosperity, security and peace for all. The indiscriminate damage visited upon the people of Gaza in pursuit of Israel’s security risks extinguishing that hope. The region is already contending with the spillover of this crisis, and the enemies of peace are unapologetic about their aims. Let us not play into their hands. It has been said over the past few days that this crisis is a test for the international community and for the Security Council. That is true. Noa Argamani, a young Jewish woman abducted by Hamas, is in her second year of computer studies at Ben-Gurion University. Her mother is undergoing cancer treatment, and she is their only child.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“We sincerely thank Brazil and its delegation for their efforts, and we remain hopeful that in the coming days we can unite behind a draft resolution. We also remain hopeful that, in parallel, diplomatic efforts led by the United States will help lead us all off the brink that we are edging towards. As I and others said yesterday, the current escalation must drive all of us, but most importantly Israelis and Palestinians, to the urgent work of achieving the two- State solution. Let me be clear that the only alternative to that is the violence we see right now. Three years ago, my country established diplomatic relations with Israel. The Abraham Accords are grounded in the simple but enduring truth that peace and dialogue are better than violence and enmity.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“Hamas is indeed responsible for sparking this latest fire that is now engulfing the streets of Arab capitals around the region. We have openly called them out for the heinous attacks on 7 October. But make no mistake: the kindling was already there, fuelled by decades of violent dehumanization, dispossession and despair. That is why we cannot, however convenient, lose sight of the context of this crisis, the longest-going occupation in the world today of a people that do not wish to be ruled and have been let down again and again and again by all of us. The United Arab Emirates voted for this draft resolution (S/2023/773) not because it is a perfect text, but because it clearly states basic principles that must be upheld and that the Council is obliged to reinforce and uphold.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“As we verify information about the strikes, one fact still remains indisputable: more Palestinians have died in this outbreak of violence than in any other in the history of the conflict. In less than two weeks of bombardment, more than 3,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 14,000 injured. Will we continue to sit here and compare the casualties on both sides? We support no less than a full humanitarian ceasefire. We do not ask for this to be done at the expense of Israel’s security, but so that people may tend to their wounded, bury their dead in dignity and begin putting their lives back together. This ceasefire is also crucial so that vital humanitarian aid may enter and that aid workers can do their work safely.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“It is perhaps beyond me to put into words the abject horrors we are witnessing in Gaza. That is why the United Arab Emirates fully supported the Security Council taking action today, and why we still support the Council taking action on the situation. For more than 140 years, the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital has provided medical care and shelter for generations of Gazans. Yesterday more than 500 Palestinians were killed in a strike that hit the hospital. Each passing hour of this ruinous war makes a mockery of the principles of international humanitarian law. Gaza is laid to waste, and nobody feels safe. We call for a full independent investigation into this incident and for those who are responsible to be held accountable.”
2023-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9442 (2023) · source
“Palestinians and Israelis deserve not only to live, which is the bare minimum, but to thrive side by side in their own independent, prosperous and secure States.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“We thank the presidency for its efforts, and we hope that we will be able to come together quickly and with one voice on this file for those who so desperately need it on the ground. We believe the Council should be able to find unity on three things — international humanitarian law must be upheld, indiscriminate attacks must be rejected and are unjustifiable and the cycle of violence overall must end. The events of the past nine days have made it painfully clear that without a determined political horizon, the spectre of bloodshed will continue to haunt both Israelis and Palestinians. Mahmoud Darwish, the late Palestinian poet, once wrote that a life defined only by the absence of its antithesis — death — is no life at all.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“At a minimum, the Council should be able to come together around the need to protect all civilians and to ensure the unconditional release of all hostages and the safe provision of humanitarian assistance. Access to fuel, food, water, medical aid and other basic necessities must be fully restored. We must create a framework for rapid, unimpeded and safe humanitarian access for the brave workers who are risking their lives today on the ground. The call for humanitarian ceasefires is essential for the realization of all of the above. Draft resolution S/2023/772, put forward by the Russian delegation, responds to those specific humanitarian needs. That is why the United Arab Emirates voted in favour of it, and that is why we are disappointed that it could not command the support of the Council today.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“The children of Gaza have lost hope. That nightmare was Gaza’s lot 10 months before this outbreak. Today civilians in Gaza are once again facing a ruinous war with nowhere safe to go. Gaza, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, is besieged, with no access to fuel, electricity, food, water or medical supplies. Two million people are now relying on a solitary pipeline for water, as none of the three desalinating plants can operate without power. Against that terrible backdrop, the international community must recognize that the call for the evacuation of more than 1 million people, who have nowhere safe to go and no assistance, for what it is — an unjustified demand, unmeetable in its nature. The Council must therefore do more than just make statements.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“Long before the unjustifiable Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, Gaza was already one of the most desperate places on Earth to live. All Council members have rightly condemned the indiscriminate murder of innocent Israeli civilians and the taking hostage of 199 people, including children. We reiterate that condemnation here. But Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people or the people of Gaza who are suffering immensely today. That is why Council unity is so desperately needed on this file. In January, the United Nations assessment of humanitarian needs in Gaza stated that 1.3 million people required aid for their basic survival. Half of those were children, and almost 60 per cent of the need ranged between severe and catastrophic. In the past decade alone, Gazans have lived through three rounds of major conflict.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“I appreciate the late turnout and the late hour. However, we would like to suggest that we suspend the meeting briefly to go into closed consultations on the votes before us.”
2023-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9439 (2023) · source
“That should be done in tandem with efforts to reinstate the rule of law across the country, for the sake of the people of Haiti and the region. We also stress the need for the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti to coordinate with the Caribbean Community and relevant United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to complement various efforts to support the people and Government of Haiti. For its part, the United Arab Emirates will remain committed to supporting all efforts towards achieving peace and stability in Haiti.”
2023-10-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9430 (2023) · source
“We encourage all contributing Member States to invest in dedicated expertise and training for their contingents so that they can respond adequately to such crimes. As the humanitarian situation in Haiti remains dire and is compounded by the ongoing insecurity in the country, we also welcome the fact that the Multinational Mission has a critical role in facilitating the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian aid. The security support that the Mission will provide is critical, but it is not a panacea that by itself can transform Haiti into a secure and safe country. We reiterate our call for a holistic, comprehensive and sustainable response to the challenges Haiti faces. The relevant stakeholders must work together towards an inclusive and inter-Haitian dialogue for a Haitian-led and -owned political settlement.”
2023-10-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9430 (2023) · source
“The text of the resolution recognizes that the situation in Haiti is dynamic and continues to escalate rapidly. In order to respond effectively and appropriately to the challenge, the Council should have entry points to review, adjust and give feedback to the Mission mandate as the situation and the plans for the response develop. Because of that, we are pleased to see a time-bound authorization for 12 months included in the resolution, along with a mandated review nine months in and regular reporting to the Council. We also welcome the fact that the authorization is not gender-blind. Ensuring that the Mission is adequately equipped to address the horrific sexual and gender- based violence wielded by armed gangs against the people of Haiti must be central to its mandate.”
2023-10-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9430 (2023) · source
“By voting in favour of it today, the United Arab Emirates reaffirms the fact that decisive action, as the Secretary-General has called for, is necessary to help Haiti back on a path towards peace and stability. We acknowledge the diligent work and flexibility of the co-penholders, Ecuador and the United States, and the constructive engagement of all Council members on the resolution. As a result, the resolution includes safeguards that will ensure that the authorization to deploy the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti will be implemented effectively and in close coordination with the Government of Haiti. We welcome Kenya’s willingness to lead the Mission and that of other Member States to participate in it. We especially thank Kenya for stepping in so responsibly to contribute to international peace and security in this way.”
2023-10-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9430 (2023) · source
“I would like to join others in congratulating Brazil on its assumption of the presidency of the Council and thanking Albania for its very capable leadership last month. When the world met two weeks ago, a clear call rang out from the General Assembly. It came from Haiti, from the Caribbean Community and from across the globe. They all spoke with one voice in acknowledging, in the words of Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, that the world owes Haiti a resolution. Some of the countries that made that call have joined us here today, and we welcome the participation of Haiti, Kenya, Jamaica and Guyana in today’s meeting. The international community called on the Security Council to take action, and resolution 2699 (2023) answers that call.”
2023-10-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9430 (2023) · source
“The opportunity and the responsibility that we have today is to chart a corrected course for Afghanistan and for the people of Afghanistan. That responsibility cannot be understated.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“We have had too many recent reminders of what happens when we do not boost resilience and adaptation measures, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The question we face today is therefore clear: are we willing to invest in climate-proofing economies and societies, massively scaling up early warning systems and providing for diversified livelihoods, or are we willing to live with the consequences of what we know will be more frequent and more severe disasters in a potentially failed State? That is a debate that we need to be having now if we are to avoid devastation like the tragedy we saw in Derna most recently. It is up to us to make space for those discussions in this Chamber and within the United Nations system.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“These security challenges are intertwined and must also remain a centre of our focus to ensure that Afghanistan does not serve as a safe harbour for threats against other nations. Finally, Afghanistan is among the top 10 climate-vulnerable countries globally. It is also among those that are the least equipped to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its impacts. Now in its third consecutive year of drought, 25 out of 34 Afghan provinces experience either severe or catastrophic drought conditions. Water scarcity has been manifesting increasingly in border tensions as well. Protection from the impacts of climate change needs to be among our priorities for the Afghan population.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“As I heard from women civil society leaders this morning, that aid should be monitored so that it actually reaches women and minorities and is not used as a lever of patronage by the de facto authorities. And we would genuinely welcome further data from United Nations agencies on that point. Thirdly, the independent assessment must have a clear recommendation for how we mitigate security challenges in a holistic way in Afghanistan, including in counter-terrorism, as well as in countering organized crime and narcotics. The significant decrease in conflict- related violence and the counter-terrorism gains need to be acknowledged and built upon. The decline in the opiate trade has also been a positive development for the region following the de facto authorities’ ban on narcotics cultivation.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“Humanitarian aid on such a scale is not a viable long-term strategy. We have already seen that less than one third of this year’s humanitarian appeal has not been funded. The latest report of the Secretary- General offers promising indications that revenue is being generated internally. Nevertheless, reviving the Afghan economy necessitates finding ways to reintegrate Afghanistan into the international banking system and providing capital to revitalize its private sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, while placing a priority on those run and owned by Afghan women. Ideally, we should be able to consider definitive options in the context of the assessment, and those should tie in with the benchmarks and timelines of the civil political process.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“In the context of the assessment, we must therefore re-examine how we envision the process, that is, whether we build a United Nations-convened pathway, pursue a new one or unify the many important regional initiatives and meetings that are currently under way, including those led by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in order to work holistically in reinforcing — and not at odds with — one another. Regardless of what approach we take, women must be full participants in that process, and confidence-building measures and ties to timelines and benchmarks should be part and parcel of all future frameworks. Secondly, we need to kick-start the Afghan economy. The economic crisis is compounding what is already the world’s worst women’s rights crisis. Rampant poverty may have forced up to 80,000 girls into marriage.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“The Secretary-General’s efforts to convene Afghanistan envoys almost six months ago was a step in the right direction, but we must see something that is consistent, meets regularly and has a clear timeline and deliverables. The next meeting of envoys should be scheduled without delay. We also need an approach that involves clear benchmarks for increasing the cooperation to emerge from such meetings, one that will lead to the de facto authorities upholding Afghanistan’s obligations under international law and their respect for human rights and the reversal of the restrictions on women and girls. We need to understand the leverage that we have to incentivize the de facto authorities to reach those benchmarks, as well as the consequences for them if they do not.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source
“It is a complex balancing act, but many millions of lives depend on our ability to walk that tightrope. Our unity as the international community remains our strongest lever. The Afghan people are not responsible for the behaviour of the Taliban. It is our responsibility to ensure that they do not become victims twice over — first victims of extremist policies and then victims of our own inaction or disunity. That does not mean legitimizing or ignoring the Taliban’s blatant disregard for human rights, especially the rights of women and girls. But it does mean engaging with them on key areas that require international involvement in order to reverse their persecution of women.”
2023-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9423 (2023) · source