YouSaid · the spoken record

Pillay

lines on the record: 139
first: 2010-07-07
most recent: 2014-08-21
sittings or episodes: 11
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

“States parties could agree that, where there are concerns about human rights in States that purchase arms, one condition of sale would be that they accept a small human rights monitoring team with deployment funded by the Treaty's trust fund. The laws of the United Nations are most needed when conflict looms, and the Council has the mandate to address crises before they escalate into threats to international peace and security. It has been an honour to serve the United Nations.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The work done by commissions of inquiry to establish clarity and prepare accountability should be followed by Council implementation of many more of their recommendations for follow-up. I trust that, in future, the commissions too will benefit from regular, official channels of communications with the Council. Finally,the Councilcould adoptastanding consensus on a menu of possible new responses to violations alerts, such as rapid, flexible and resource-efficient human rights monitoring missions, limited in time and scope. Another innovative option could build on the new Arms Trade Treaty, which requires arms exporters and importers to confirm that weapons will not be used to commit violations.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Sovereign States established the United Nations and built the international human rights framework precisely because they knew that human rights violations caused conflict and undermined sovereignty. Early United Nations action to address human rights protects States by warding off the threat of devastating violence. The Council can take a number of innovative approaches to prevent threats to international peace and security. Within the Rights Up Front initiative, the Secretary-General can be even more proactive in alerting it to potential crises, including situations that are not formally on its agenda. To further strengthen early warning, the Council could also ask for more regular and comprehensive human rights reporting by protection actors. For example, my successor as High Commissioner could provide an informal monthly briefing.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“I firmly believe that greater responsiveness by the Council would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. A broader conception of national interest would be more appropriate to a century in which a growing number of challenges face humankind as a whole. In those terms, the use of the veto to stop actions intended to prevent or defuse conflict is a short-term and ultimately counterproductive tactic. The collective interest, defined clearly by the Charter of the United Nations, is in the national interests of every State. State sovereignty is often invoked to deflect United Nations action to prevent serious human rights Violations. But as I have often said to the representatives of Governments: "You made the law; now you must observe it".”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“But when Governments are unwilling or unable to protect their people, it is the responsibility of the international community and, singularly, the Security Council, to intervene and to deploy the range of good offices, support, inducements and coercion at its disposal to defuse the triggers of conflict. The Council's interest in human rights increased markedly during my tenure. But despite repeated briefings regarding escalating violations in multiple crises by OHCHR and other human rights mechanisms, there has not always been a firm and principled decision by members of the Council to put an end to crises. Short- term geopolitical considerations and national interests, narrowly defined, have repeatedly taken precedence over intolerable human suffering and grave breaches of and long-term threats to international peace and security.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“They built up overyears - and sometimes decades - of human rights grievances: deficient or corrupt governance and judicial institutions, discrimination and exclusion, inequities in development, the exploitation and denial of economic and social rights and the repression of civil society and public freedoms. Early detection systems, such as the 51 special procedures experts of the Human Rights Council, and systematic scrutiny by treaty bodies repeatedly alerted us to those shortfalls. Therefore, although the specifics of each crisis could not necessarily be predicted, many of the human rights Violations that were at their core were known. They could have been addressed. That was, in the first place, the duty of the relevant States.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Other complex and potentially highly eruptive conflicts are under way in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, the Sudan and Ukraine. Those crises hammer home the full cost ofthe international community's failure to prevent conflict. They combine massive bloodshed and devastation of infrastructure with acutely destabilizing transnational phenomena, including terrorism, the proliferation of prohibited weaponry, organized crime and spoliation of natural resources. None of those crises erupted without warning.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The human-rights agenda is also a detailed road map for ways to resolve disputes. My Office's years of practical experience, including through human-rights components of peacekeeping missions, demonstrate a number of good practices that address both proximate triggers of conflict and root causes. To emphasize three, let me cite strengthening civil society actors, increasing participation by women in decision-making and dialogue and addressing institutional and individual accountability for past Violations of human rights. Yet, as the Secretary-General has pointed out, the conflict in Syria is metastasizing outwards in an uncontrollable process whose eventual limits we cannot predict.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Today OHCHR's country office continues to support stronger institutions, transitional justice and reconciliation. In Colombia, the United Nations efforts to promote human rights and our capacity-building for democratic culture and institutions helped to establish a climate of respectful dialogue. A transitional justice process included compensation for victims and a truth commission. We facilitated high-level governmental recognition of indigenous authorities. Mediation helped contain local disputes. One particular good practice that merits highlighting is Colombia's unique early-warning system to detect and prevent violations of human rights. Human rights are always central to conflict- prevention. Patterns of violations, including sexual Violence, provide early warning of escalation.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“In Nepal, following almost a decade of armed conflict, my Office's efforts included the deployment of both short- and long-term strategies. They included support for Constituent Assembly elections, capacity- building for police and civil society and important Government initiatives, such as addressing caste-based discrimination. Following the 2007 massacres in Guinea - a country at high risk of violence and civil war - the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) demonstrated the criticality of early engagement, notably in building civil society's capacity to investigate and document human rights Violations. There was coherent action by national, regional and international actors, and the Council established a commission of inquiry.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Ms. Pillay: Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to interact with the Security Council a few days before the end of my term. I also thank the Secretary-General for his very kind words and for his support for my mandate, without which we would not have been able to advance as we have. Conflict-prevention is complex, but it can be achieved. In many States, democratic institutions de-escalate disputes long before they reach the boiling point. Even after violence has broken out, international actors can help broker and enforce peace. In my own country, South Africa, the United Nations helped end 300 years of injustice when it declared apartheid a crime against humanity and imposed sanctions, and democratic institutions were installed to resolve future disputes.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“My office stands ready to support the commission whenever requested. IGAD and regional leaders share the same outrage as the rest of the world. They see the conflict as a showdown between two leaders for political power and the control of oil revenues. With regard to international action and recommendations, in December the Council agreed that the number of UNMISS peacekeepers should be increased from 7,700 to 13,200. However, the contributing countries have still not supplied some two-thirds of the extra troops. They are desperately needed. I trust that the members of the Council will do their utmost to ensure that UNMISS can count on a full complement of peacekeepers, as well as an adequate budget. The world's youngest country has a long history of suffering.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“As I was reminded by the Ambassador during our meeting, more people have been killed after the cessation of hostilities was signed than before. I call on the Security Council to support the IGAD initiative. The deployment of the protection force will help save lives in the short run. The force should be deployed only if it has a clear mandate that supports the political resolution of the conflict. I also met with four members of the African Union commission of inquiry. They have just returned from their first visit to South Sudan, where they met with internally displaced persons and victims in furtherance of their mandate to inquire into accountability, justice and reconciliation. The Commission will require substantial support if it is effectively to fulfil its mandate, including a fully staffed secretariat with the required expertise.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“And today, I understand that United States Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the two leaders have agreed to meet. I was able to meet in Addis Ababa with the head of the IGAD mediation team, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs and the Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs. IGAD is pushing for the quick deployment of the proposed protection and deterrent force, which will provide protection for the monitoring and verification teams responsible for monitoring the implementation of the cessation of hostilities signed in January. The IGAD head sees that as, in his words, "a game changer" in reducing the ongoing violence. Despite egregious violations of the cessation of hostilities by both parties, the monitoring and verification teams have not investigated any reported violations.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Dieng and I warned them that they will inevitably be the subject of international investigations regarding the extent of their knowledge of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by subordinates under their authority and their failure to take reasonable steps to prevent such crimes. With regard to the peace negotiations, international pressure has had some effect on the deadlock between President Kiir and Mr. Machar. Last week, in what was perceived as a gesture of reconciliation, the Government released four prisoners whom it had accused of plotting a coup. On Monday, peace talks between the warring sides reopened in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the regional East Africa bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“I welcome those commitments to investigate, but as I said this week to my various interlocutors, such investigations must be independent, transparent and consistent with international standards, and they must move swiftly to take action against alleged perpetrators in order to reassure a terrified civilian population that the escalation of ethnic violence will not continue to intensify. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that this will be the case. I fear that South Sudan's leaders are locked in a purely personal power struggle, with little or no regard for the appalling suffering that it inflicts on their people. Mr.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“We also travelled to Nassir, where we discussed the killings in Bentiu with opposition leader Riek Machar, the former vice-President of South Sudan, since the attacks were carried out by forces associated with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition, which he leads. The Government said that it is investigating the mass killings of civilians in Juba in mid-December, and Mr. Machar similarly assured us that he would investigate the slaughter in Bentiu, adding that he would do his utmost to stop his forces from attacking civilians.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Last month I said, with respect to impunity and accountability before the Council, that the pervasive culture of impunity in South Sudan had fuelled the current violence and that it was critical that the capacities of the domestic judicial system to effectively address accountability be established without delay. Only clear and decisive moves towards accountability can hope to stop the cycles of revenge killings and re-establish a sense of common destiny across the country. During our mission, Mr. Dieng and I conveyed that concern to President Salva Kiir and five senior Cabinet Ministers in his Government.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Riek Machar acknowledged the need for a political solution, stating that he "hates the situation that he is in" and would be open to peace talks. A matter of pressing urgency is the looming humanitarian disaster. The rainy season has begun, meaning that the planting season is already half over, which raises the spectre of widespread famine. Mr. Dieng and I have urged leaders on both sides to observe a 30-day ceasefire to allow people to return to their fields to plant as much as possible. Shockingly, their reactions indicated that this was not an overriding concern.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Harking back grimly to the events that led up to the Rwandan genocide, following their capture of Bentiu this month rebels commandeered a local radio station and urged supporters to take revenge, including by raping women from other communities. Even more recently, according to media reports, the Governor of the Lakes region told a gathering ofyouths last weekend, "What we are doing today is eye for eye. You pinch me, I pinch you too - no forgiveness. If someone pinches you time and again and you do not do the same, you are creating a point of weakness in yourself." Such statements by senior public officials fuel violence. President Kiir told us that he hated revenge. I urged him to make his statement known publicly in order to stem the continued violence.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Thirty-two schools have been taken over by military forces, and there have been more than 20 attacks on clinics and health centres. Children have also been killed during indiscriminate attacks on civilians by both sides. Since December, we have seen versions of such targeted ethnic violence in Malakal and dozens of other, smaller towns across the country, as well as in Juba itself. The accelerating cycles of revenge are now such that the slaughters in Bentiu and Bor could ignite further violence. Some ofthose key state capitals have changed hands numerous times since the conflict started, either following fighting or after the other party retreated, leaving civilians more vulnerable to attacks. Elements on all sides of the conflict have called publicly for their supporters to hunt down other ethnic groups.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Dieng and I travelled to Bor and met several of the survivors, who described the assault to us and expressed fears of being targeted on the grounds of their ethnicity or of their being perceived as supporters of one or other of the warring sides. Thankfully, the strong intervention of Indian peacekeepers prevented hundreds more from being killed or injured. UNMISS has performed commendably in opening its doors to some 80,000 people and has been sheltering and protecting them as best it can. However, several community leaders told us that they were terrified of further attacks and wish to be moved from the United Nations compound to places of safety. UNICEF reports that more than 9,000 children have been recruited into armed forces by both sides.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Two weeks ago, in the aftermath of the capture of Bentiu by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/ Army in Opposition, hundreds of people, many of them civilians - including those sheltering in places of worship and hospitals - were hunted down on the basis of their ethnicity and killed. Following the massacre at Bentiu, a retaliatory assault occurred in Bor against displaced people who had sought refuge in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound, leading to the deaths of at least 50 women, men and children. Many more were injured, including two peacekeepers. Earlier this week, Mr.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“Ms. Pillay: I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to address the Council on the crisis in South Sudan. My visit to the country this week, together with the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Mr. Adama Dieng, revealed a sharp and drastic deterioration in the human rights situation. The deadly spiral of revenge killings that has developed over the past four and a half months appears to be reaching a level of intensity that is generating a real fear of disaster among the people of South Sudan and that is compounded by the likelihood of widespread famine that the conflict has generated.”
2014-05-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7168 (2014) · source
“I also reiterate my call to the Council to refer the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court as a clear message to all parties that there will be consequences for their actions. The lack of consensus on Syria and the resulting inaction have been disastrous, and civilians have paid the price. I am appalled by the massacre on 8 February at Maan, where dozens of civilians were killed. Throughout my mandate, I have welcomed every opportunity to brief the Council and States about human rights issues in order to contribute to informed decisions. I have seen tremendous progress in the emphasis that peacekeeping operations have given to human rights. I encourage the Council and Member States to continue putting human rights at the centre of considerations on peace and security.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Finally, let us not forget that there are armed conflicts in which civilians suffer greatly but where no peacekeeping operation is deployed. I am particularly concerned about the situation in Syria, including the use of sieges as a method of warfare and their tremendous impact on the civilian population. At least 240,000 Syrians, including women and children, remain trapped and struggle to survive. Both the Syrian Government and the anti-Government groups are failing to fulfil their obligations under international law. There must not be an assumption that those who remain in Old Homs and other besieged areas are combatants. All parties to the conflict must urgently facilitate unimpeded access to humanitarian relief.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“States must do more to ensure that violations of international human rights and humanitarian law are investigated and that perpetrators are held accountable. In post- conflict situations, where capacity is often minimal, that requires sustained efforts. That may include mobile courts, specialized chambers, internationally supported tribunals, vetting, robust technical assistance to strengthen the criminal justice system or a combination of those elements. I encourage the Council and States to squarely face the magnitude and responsibility of, and the resources needed for, that task, in the clear knowledge that accountability is crucial to the protection of civilians. I also call on the Council to more systematically condemn Violations, to remind parties of their obligations and to demand compliance.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Our experience in Cote d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo shows the value of close cooperation among human rights, military and other peacekeeping personnel to rapidly assess developments in remote locations, to engage in preventive advocacy with potential perpetrators and to protect civilians. Thirdly, we need continued support from the Council in particularly difficult situations when protecting civilians requires bold action and swift decisions and when mission personnel are intimidated, expelled or attacked because they are doing their jobs. Fourthly, impunity allows gross human rights violations to thrive. It undermines the fabric of societies and prevents the development of lasting solutions.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“My Office is currently seeking to strengthen our headquarters support to those components in order to facilitate the speedy deployment ofwell-trained human rights experts in crisis situations. Secondly, we need greater support for human rights access. It is indispensable for the effective protection of human rights that we establish facts and understand underlying causes and conflict dynamics. Sound and compelling human rights information and analysis must be at the core of strategies to protect civilians. Access by human rights personnel to remote and at-risk areas is also critical for deterrence.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The protection ofcivilians in peacekeeping should be norms- based. Implementation should be firmly anchored in the broader human rights protection mandate of missions. To that effect, my Office has worked with the DPKO and the Department of Political Affairs to develop a joint policy, the aim of which is to ensure that human rights officers, military personnel and other mission components work better together to respond to the risk of human rights violations, including in situations of imminent physical violence against civilians. I urge the Council to emphasize that link when issuing mandates, and to ensure that human rights components are appropriately resourced.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The Secretary-General's action plan entitled "Rights up front", which places human rights at the centre of the response to potential or emerging crises, is also strengthening United Nations efforts with regard both to South Sudan and the Central African Republic, including those of my Office. In spite of those developments, I see a number of areas in which greater support from the Security Council and States would be welcome. First, we need to be clearer about what we mean by the protection of civilians in peacekeeping. Over the years, the Council has greatly contributed to the protection of civilians by issuing fully fledged human rights mandates and mandates to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence. However, the link between those two mandates and their mutually reinforcing nature has not always been made clear.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In the Central African Republic, while regional peacekeeping efforts are ongoing, my Office has been focusing on much-needed fact-finding, public reporting and promotion of accountability through the deployment of a rapid-response monitoring team, increased human rights capacity within the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic and support for the Council's commission of inquiry. There is an urgent need to stop the terrible violence in the Central African Republic and to hold perpetrators accountable. I also note that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has decided to open a preliminary investigation. I welcome the Council's continued attention to the situation in the Central African Republic, in particular its efforts to ensure accountability.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“All those approaches are strongly grounded in human rights functions. Our experience confirms that timely and well- resourced human rights monitoring, advocacy and reporting are essential for the effective implementation of protection-of-civilians mandates. In South Sudan, beyond the physical protection of more than 80,000 civilians in United Nations bases, it is clear that human rights investigation, monitoring, advocacy and reporting are key concerns now more than ever. Together with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, we are preparing a comprehensive public human rights report. OHCHR is also providing technical support and advice for the establishment ofa commission ofinquiry by the African Union.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In Mali, human rights mobile teams have been deployed to areas at risk, and human rights call-centres were set up during the elections. In Afghanistan, civilian casualty monitoring has provided the basis for influential advocacy, such as the 8 February report issued jointly by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Human rights officers have also advised on United Nations military preventive deployments, contingency plans and sheltering and escorting civilians. They have also provided a critical bridge with local communities, human rights defenders and women's groups for alerts on risks of gross human rights violations. The human rights due-diligence policy has also contributed to preventing and addressing violations.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Ms. Pillay: I would like to thank you, Madam President, for this opportunity to address the Security Council. I shall base my remarks on the experience gained over the past few years by my Office and the human rights components in peacekeeping operations. Nine peacekeeping operations currently have an explicit mandate to protect civilians. My Office has worked together with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to develop policies, guidance and training on the protection of civilians, building on the wealth of often innovative approaches that have been developed in the field. In the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo, the human rights component has dispatched multidisciplinary protection teams to volatile areas.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Finally, I fully support the Secretary-General's recommendation for closer links between the United Nations peace and security, human rights and development work. A human-rights-based approach is crucial to successfully address the root causes of conflict and threats to women's security. It is also crucial to seize the opportunity offered by transitions, which include transforming gender relations, dismantling negative gender stereotypes, reforming legislation that discriminates against women, supporting women's autonomy in private and public spaces and, eventually, building just and equal societies where peace and development can prosper.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“My Office will also submit to the Human Rights Council at its September 2014 session an analytical study on gender-based and sexual violence in relation to transitionaljustice. Those are ongoing efforts to ensure that the human rights reports and briefings that reach this Council fully integrate women's rights, including through specialized capacity-building tools and activities for human rights officers. My Office, in cooperation with UN Women, is also undertaking an internal lessons-learned exercise on the provision of gender and sexual and gender-based violence expertise to commissions of inquiry in order to help further progress in ensuring that their work is gender-sensitive.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“Developments in the Middle East and North Africa region exemplify the need for transitional justice processes and institutional reforms that are mindful of the interdependence and interrelatedness of human rights. In some countries of that region, women parliamentarians face fierce opposition when they propose laws that address women's rights, while in others public spaces for women are shrinking due to threats and intimidation. It is crucial that while we look into quotas and other mechanisms to support women's participation in political systems in countries emerging from conflict, we also need to consider how illiteracy, poverty, discrimination and violence conspire to prevent their effective participation. My Office will raise awareness about CEDAW's new general recommendation and promote its implementation.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“I join the Secretary-General and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in noting the importance of a resolution adopted this morning in Geneva by the CEDAW Committee, which is a general recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations. I support the Committee's view that efforts to ensure judicial accountability and to uncover the truth about past violations must take into account a whole range of violations, as well as the underlying structural sexual and gender-based discrimination that made them possible. I also believe that, according to the spirit and letter of CEDAW and other human rights instruments, efforts to halt violations must be framed around an obligation to address structural and systemic gender inequality and discrimination through comprehensive legislative, policy and institutional reforms.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“It has also trained police, prosecutors and magistrates to better handle sexual violence investigations and trials. As a result of those and other efforts, an increasing number of convictions has been registered. While all that progress is encouraging, we must also be aware that there is still a long, hard road ahead before we can claim to be providing justice, accountability and seizing the potential of transitional justice processes for women fully. Thirdly, as we continue to advance along that road, we must focus our efforts within international human rights norms and standards, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“We have produced reports that include recommendations to inform reparations effforts there. In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, my Office is concluding a pilot project that consists of grants to five local organizations to provide support and assistance to survivors of sexual violence. A guidance note on reparations for victims of conflict- related sexual violence is being prepared jointly by my Ofice and UN Women, which will be available shortly. In several countries, there have been targeted efforts to encourage the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence. For example, the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has supported legal clinics that represent victims of sexual violence.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“Similarly, there have been increasing efforts to systematically include gender considerations in the work of commissions of inquiry, including having experts on gender appointed to the secretariats of the ongoing commissions of inquiry working on Syria and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Given the role that those mechanisms can play in laying the ground for transitionaljustice processes, such expertise can make an important contribution to bringing about gender-sensitive justice and redress. We closely collaborate with UN Women in that area. There is now much greater recognition of the need for and the potential of gender-sensitive reparations. My Office has undertaken consultations with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Kosovo as per resolution 1244 (1999).”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“To give just one example, at the beginning of October, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Yemen and commended the authorities for conducting a national dialogue in which 30 per cent of the participants were women. Increasingly, the mandates, compositions and operations of truth and reconciliation commissions and similar bodies are designed to ensure that women's and girls' experiences are taken into account. In his recent report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence highlighted the increased attention being paid by truth commissions to women's rights.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“The Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution establishing a Special Rapporteur on the Central African Republic. My Office will encourage close attention to the situation of women and girls in the work of that mandate. Secondly, the establishment of the rule of law and transitional justice processes are crucial to ensuring accountability and delivering justice, truth and reparations for violations suffered by women. They are also crucial to deter the continuation of such violations in future. Today we observe considerable progress in several areas. The full, free and informed participation of women in national consultations is increasingly regarded as instrumental for the design and implementation of comprehensive, context-specific, gender-sensitive transitional justice strategies.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“In September, the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria submitted its most recent report to the Human Rights Council, which stressed the prominent role that the use and threat of sexual violence were playing in the conflict. The report also showed how vulnerable the women and girls in refugee camps were to sexual exploitation, forced marriage and trafficking. Also in September, I reported to the Human Rights Council on the fact-finding mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Central African Republic, which reported a high rate of sexual violence against women. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovie visited the Central African Republic in August and confirmed those findings.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“Ms. Pillay: I thank the Security Council for the opportunity to address this open debate on women and peace and security. I shall briefly address four main points: first, the situation of women's human rights in conflict; secondly, ensuring that gender considerations are taken into account during transitional justice processes, and making sure there is accountability for crimes suffered by women; thirdly, the value of comprehensive human rights-based approaches to transitional justice; and, lastly, much-needed efforts to create closer links between the peace and security, human rights and development agendas to fully seize the opportunity offered by transitional justice processes for women. First, the protection of women's human rights in conflict remains a challenge. Let me provide just a couple of examples.”
2013-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7044 (2013) · source
“As the tragic events unfolding over the past few weeks in Egypt have shown so clearly, a failure to ensure respect for all human rights, including those aimed at ensuring vital democratic space, can culminate in bloody violence and the loss of lives. The response should equally be based on international law, including human rights. Otherwise, such failures are likely to have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences.”
2013-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7019 (2013) · source
“I also remain seriously concerned about the human rights implications for the protection of civilians of armed drone strikes carried out in the context of counter- terrorism and military operations, including in Pakistan, Yemen and Gaza. The current lack of transparency surrounding their use creates an accountability vacuum and affects the ability of victims to seek redress. I urge the relevant States to clarify the legal basis for such strikes as well as the safeguards in place to ensure compliance with applicable international law. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the protection of civilians is critically linked to the protection of all human rights.”
2013-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7019 (2013) · source
“I welcome the recent statement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court that her office will, if necessary, investigate and prosecute those most responsible for committing serious crimes there. That has followed the mission of Mr. Ivan Simonovie to the country, during which he discussed with national authorities ways to tackle the ongoing impunity. With regard to Syria, 1 reiterate my call for the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. A referral would serve to make it clear to all actors that they will be held to account for their failure to abide by international human rights and humanitarian law. It is my hope that it will also contribute to preventing further violations.”
2013-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7019 (2013) · source
“The freedom of movement throughout the occupied Palestinian territory should be ensured. I am also seriously concerned about the ongoing prevalance of impunity, which undermines the fabric of societies and is detrimental to any lasting solution to instability. States must adopt the necessary measures for combating impunity, in compliance with international standards. In that respect, I welcome consideration given in Guinea-Bissau for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to investigate crimes of political violence and other serious crimes, as well as gross violations of human rights committed since March 2009. It is also of the utmost importance for perpetrators to be held fully accountable for Violations committed in the Central African Republic.”
2013-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7019 (2013) · source