YouSaid · the spoken record

Power

lines on the record: 1,841
first: 2013-08-06
most recent: 2019-07-09
sittings or episodes: 165
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

“The Council has heard that there are no Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, but the fact is that many of the armed units that we have seen were outfitted in bullet-proof vests and camouflage uniforms with insignia removed. Those armed units, some wearing black and orange Saint George's ribbons - associated with Russian Victory Day celebrations - raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called for referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind that; indeed, the only entity in the area capable of those coordinated, professional military actions is Russia. The synchronized surgical seizure of buildings yesterday occurred in towns along the main highway, followed by armed roadblocks, almost as ifa coordinated barrier were being formed between Kyiv and the major eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.”
2014-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7154 (2014) · source
“Then, too, officials from the Russian Federation spoke early on in the crisis and disclaimed any intention of occupying or invading. In the earlier Crimean case, highly organized, well-equipped and professional forces wearing Russian military uniforms and military gear without identifying insignia moved in first to take control of Crimean Government and security facilities, before being later replaced by regular Russian military forces. Then, too, Russia said it was acting to protect minorities' rights. But the whole world now knows that they were not. As the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has reported, the minorities at risk in Crimea are Tatars and Ukrainians.”
2014-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7154 (2014) · source
“The human stakes of what is happening in Ukraine are extremely high. The lives of innocent civilians are at risk, yet we are being bombarded by Russian disinformation and propaganda, while the Ukrainians are being confronted by incitement and violence. Russian media and Government spokespersons are spreading fiction, so we must tonight focus on facts. The Council has heard, these last weeks, Russia disclaim any intention of occupying or invading. The Council has heard it publicly, and we have heard it privately. Unfortunately, the fact is that the armed seizure of buildings in six eastern Ukrainian towns yesterday, and several more today, mirrors the tactics Russian forces used in the early stages of the Crimea invasion.”
2014-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7154 (2014) · source
“We expect that such patrols would already be in steady decline, given the expansion of the HNP and the fact that they need to test their capacity while robust MINUSTAH operational support and advice remain available. At a minimum, those patrols should be conducted with the HNP, not independent of them. Finally, the United States expresses its deep gratitude to two Brazilians. First, we thank Lieutenant General Pujol for his dedicated service as Force Commander. Secondly, we congratulate Lieutenant General Jaborandy on his appointment. The dedicated men and women of MINUSTAH have the utmost admiration and support of the United States as they work together with the Haitian people to build a more peaceful and prosperous future in Haiti.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“The Council must continue to ensure that MINUSTAH's mandate, structure and size remain appropriate to Haiti's evolving circumstances. In that regard, we hope that the United Nations can provide more detailed reporting on the declining role of MINUSTAH forces in ensuring security in Haiti. For example, specific information over time on the number and type of incidents in which the HNP requested and received operational support, also organized by location and the type and number of MINUSTAH forces that responded, would be useful to determining where the HNP stands in progressing towards being able to assume full responsibility for Haiti's security. More information about the frequency of, and need for, independent MINUSTAH patrols, particularly by military elements, also would be useful to the Council's deliberations.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“In the light of Haiti's progress, the United States welcomes the Secretary-General's presentation of possible alternate designs for the United Nations presence in Haiti beyond 2016, and we agree with the Secretary-General that an accelerated transition to a new United Nations configuration in Haiti could be considered if conditions on the ground permit. The United States urges the Secretary-General to conduct, as soon as possible, a strategic assessment that evaluates whether conditions, including expected election support requirements, warrant accelerating the transition to a new Mission structure or continuing the conditions of the base drawdown under way. We urge the Secretary-General to report his findings in his next report on Haiti to the Security Council.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“The United States urges those same leaders to act without delay to amend the electoral law, as needed, and to stand up the provisional Electoral Council so that Haiti's election adminstrators will have sufficient time to organize - with the strong support of Haiti's partners, including MINUSTAH - elections in 2014 that are free, fair, credible and inclusive. The United States also encourages Special Representative Honore to continue to facilitate dialogue among political leaders and with civil society to ensure that disagreements about the electoral process or other areas of civic life are resolved swiftly so that they do not threaten Haiti's hard-won gains.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“Further minimizing the number of prisoners held in pre-trial detention, for example, would be a key indicator of the Government's commitment to strengthening due process in the legal and corrections systems. Like strong institutions, a democratic, functioning political process featuring regular elections is critical to Haiti's long-term stability. The gains made since the Council last met on Haiti in August 2013 (see S/PV.7024), culminating in this month's signing of the El Rancho agreement, are encouraging, and we commend Haiti's political leaders for making the difficult but necessary compromises to move the process forward so that the Haitian people can freely exercise their right to choose their Government representatives.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“First, with respect to security, the United States welcomes the ongoing expansion and development of the Haitian National Police (HNP), and in particular its growing and demonstrated capacity to take on responsibility for Haiti's security. The relatively stable security situation reported by the Secretary-General, including in areas of the country that the MINUSTAH military component has already vacated, indicates strong progress on this front. While a larger professional police force remains necessary if sustained stability and the rule of law are to take root throughout Haiti, the Government of Haiti and its partners, including MINUSTAH, must also prioritize the development of the judiciary, the corrections system and oversight mechanisms.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“I thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Honore for her briefing, which, together with the report of the Secretary-General (S/2014/162), illuminates the impressive strides Haiti has made, as well as the challenges it continues to face. Today, I should like to focus on three areas that are essential for the Council, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the international community to consider as we work with Haitians to build for the future. These are deepening security and the rule of law, ensuring consistent political progress, and finding the right scope and size for the United Nations presence in the country.”
2014-03-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7147 (2014) · source
“In conclusion, let me just emphasize again that what Russia has done is wrong as a matter of law, wrong as a matter of history, wrong as a matter of policy, and dangerous. What happened in Crimea cannot be recognized as valid. We must stand together denying recognition and imposing consequences for that illegal act. In doing so, we must also be very clear that what happened in Crimea cannot be repeated in other parts of Ukraine.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“We want to thank members of the Council for taking a strong stance on Russia's intervention in Ukraine and for making it clear that Russia stands alone in its failed, illogical and mendacious attempt to justify actions that cannot be justified. Five days ago, when the Council accurately described the Crimean separatist referendum as invalid, only a single hand rose in opposition. When the Council declared that the referendum could not form the basis for any alteration of the status of Crimea, only a single hand rose in opposition. Now the referendum has taken place, but the national and international legal status of Crimea has not changed. A thief can steal property, but that does not confer the right of ownership on the thief.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“There, Russia was dramatically outnumbered. It was the lone dissenting voice out of 57 countries; 56, it seemed, had a different view. Russian officials say that they understand the urgency, but they vote with their feet, relying on their military forces and refusing to allow the deployment of those who could help defuse the crisis and prevent further violence. After hearing my Russian colleague's assault minutes ago on the Assistant Secretary- General's briefing, I see the logic of Russian obstruction. Objective information is inconvenient to the Russian tale. We call on all parties to support these observer missions, including their access to Crimea.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“He had last been seen at a protest in Simferopol on 3 March. Ahmetov's body reportedly showed signs of torture. Russian troops are reportedly storming apartment buildings housing Ukrainian troops, border guards, veterans and their families, threatening them and demanding their immediate departure. In addition, we are seriously concerned about activists, civil society leaders, media restrictions and journalists in Crimea. Accordingly, the United States supports the rapid deployment of international observers in all parts of Ukraine. We believe it is instructive that the Government of Ukraine has repeatedly welcomed their deployment, and the Russian Federation has not. Again today in Vienna, Russia was the lone country to block an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe monitoring mission.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“Assistant Secretary-General Simonovie's briefing once again illustrates that the crisis was never about protecting the rights of ethnic Russians and was always about one country's ambition to redraw its own borders. Indeed, if there was ever a time to be concerned about human rights in Crimea, it is now. Credible reports indicate that cases of harassment have been directed by Russian allies against ethnic Ukrainians and Tatars. The Tatar community, which constitutes 12 per cent of the population, is rightly fearful of again falling victim to deportation or discrimination. The Crimean First Deputy Prime Minister has recently announced that Crimean Tatars will be evicted from some of their land, which he claimed is needed for "infrastructure projects". The body of Reshat Ahmetov, a Crimean Tatar, was discovered Sunday.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“Those actions again violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Russia's own binding agreements, international law, the expressed will of most members of the Council and the letter and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. Two days ago, President Obama and other world leaders put in place sanctions in response to Russia's blatant disregard for global opinion and the legal rights of Ukraine. We are prepared to take additional steps if Russian aggression or Russian provocations continue. In this Chamber, when the crisis began, the Russian Federation described its intervention into Crimea as a human rights protection mission. It claimed that the recent change of Government in Ukraine constituted such a danger to ethnic Russians in Crimea that military action was justified.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“I wish to thank Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson and Assistant Secretary-General Simonovie for their briefings. The representative of the Russian Federation began his statement extolling the so-called referendum as embodying democratic procedures and having been conducted without outside interference. Russia is known for its literary greatness, and what the Council just heard from the Russian Ambassador showed more imagination than Tolstoy or Chekhov. Russia has decided, it seems, to rewrite its borders, but it cannot rewrite the facts. The United States rejects Russia's military intervention and land grab in Crimea.”
2014-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7144 (2014) · source
“But in so doing, Russia cannot change the fact that moving forward in blatant defiance of the international rules of the road will have consequences, nor can it change Crimea's status. Crimea is part of Ukraine today. It will be part of Ukraine tomorrow. It will be part of Ukraine next week. It will be part of Ukraine unless and until its status is changed in accordance with Ukrainian and international law. Russia prevented the adoption of a resolution today, but it cannot change the aspirations and destiny of the Ukrainian people, and it cannot deny the truth, displayed today, that there is overwhelming international opposition to its dangerous actions.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“Russia put itself outside the international norms that we have painstakingly developed to serve as the bedrock foundation for peaceful relations between States. The reason only one country voted against the draft resolution today is that the world believes that international borders are more than mere suggestions. The world believes that people within those internationally recognized borders have the right to chart their own future, free from intimidation. The world believes that the lawless pursuit of one's ambitions serves none of us. Russia has used its veto as an accomplice to unlawful military incursion. That very veto was given nearly 70 years ago to countries that had led an epic fight against aggression.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“Russia has refused Ukraine's outstretched hand while, as we speak, Russian armed forces are massing across Ukraine's eastern border. Two days ago, in this very Chamber, Ukraine's Prime Minister appealed to Russia to embrace peace (see S/PV.7134). Instead, Russia has rejected a draft resolution that had peace at its heart and law flowing through its veins. The United States offered the draft resolution in a spirit of reconciliation, in the desire for peace, in keeping with the rule of law, in recognition of the facts and in fulfilment of the obligation of the Council to promote and preserve stability among nations. At the moment of decision, only one hand was raised to oppose those principles. Russia - isolated, alone and wrong - blocked the draft resolution's adoption, just as it has blocked Ukrainian ships and international observers.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“Russia claimed that the rights of people inside Ukraine were under attack, but that claim had validity only in the parts of Ukraine where Russia and Russian military forces were exercising undue influence. Russia denied that it was intervening militarily, but Russian troops have helped to surround and occupy public buildings, shut down airports, obstruct transit points and prevent the entry into Ukraine of international observers and human rights monitors. Russian leadership has disclaimed any intention of trying to annex Crimea, then reversed itself and concocted a rationale for justifying just such an illegal act. Russia claims that its intentions are peaceful, but Russian officials have shown little interest in United Nations, European and American efforts at diplomacy, including Secretary of State Kerry's efforts yesterday in London.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“It recalled specifically the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia and other signatories reaffirmed their commitments themselves to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and to refrain from aggressive military action toward that country. The draft resolution called on the Government of Ukraine to do what it had promised it would do: to protect the rights of all Ukrainians, including those belonging to minority groups. Finally, the draft resolution noted that the planned Crimean referendum, scheduled for tomorrow, has no legal validity and will have no legal effect on the status of Crimea. From the beginning of the crisis, the Russian position has been at odds not only with the law, but also with the facts.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“The truth is that the draft resolution should not have been controversial. It was grounded in principles that provide the foundation for international stability and law, Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations, the prohibition of the use of force to acquire territory and respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Member States. Those are principles that Russia agrees with and defends vigorously, all around the world; except, it seems, in circumstances that involve Russia. The draft resolution broke no new legal or normative ground. It simply called on all parties to do what they had previously pledged through internationally binding agreements to do.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“But history has lessons, for those of us who are willing to listen. Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to listen today. Under the Charter of the United Nations, the Russian Federation has the power to veto a Security Council draft resolution. But it does not have the power to veto the truth. As we know, the word "truth" - or "pravda" - has aprominent place in the story ofmodern Russia. From the days of Lenin and Trotsky until the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pravda was the name of the house newspaper of the Soviet communist regime. But throughout that period, one could search in vain to find "pravda" in pravda. Today one again searches in vain to find truth in the Russian position on Crimea, on Ukraine or on the proposed Security Council resolution (S/2014/189) considered and vetoed a few moments ago.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“The United States deeply appreciates the support from our colleagues around the table and from the many States that have called for a peaceful end to the crisis in Ukraine. This is, however, a sad and remarkable moment. It is the seventh time that the Security Council has convened to discuss the urgent crisis in Ukraine. The Council is meeting on Ukraine because it is the job of this body to stand up for peace and to defend those in danger. We have heard a lot, each time that the Security Council has met, about the echoes and relevance of history. We have heard, for example, about the pleas of the brave democrats of Hungary in 1956 and about the dark chill that dashed the dreams of Czechs in 1968. We still have the time and the collective power to ensure that the past does not become prologue.”
2014-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7138 (2014) · source
“This is the moment to show that laws matter, rules matter, and territorial integrity matters. If we do not come together, if we do not send a clear a signal of our shared commitments, we will live with the consequences in Crimea and well beyond. We will look back on this moment and wish we had come together with a unified voice before the consequences became dire and innocent lives were lost.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“These steps, each in accordance with prior agreements, each consistent with international law, each in keeping with the best interests of the people of Ukraine, are all that is needed to end this crisis in a way that respects the rights and interests of everyone involved. In accordance with these principles, the United States is proposing a draft resolution for the Council's consideration that would endorse a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis based on international law and the Council's mandate to act, when necessary, to ensure global security and peace. In closing, I would like to reiterate my Government's belief that, to resolve this crisis, what is needed now is for a climate of restraint to replace confrontation, openness to replace obstructionism, and peaceful dialogue to replace coercion.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“Given the risk of conflict, none of us can afford to leave any stone unturned. But Russia has to want a diplomatic solution. The diplomatic path remains both viable and desirable, because the way forward is clear. Russian forces must return to their bases and Russia must honour its agreements with Ukraine. All countries must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and seek to resolve disputes through peaceful means. Every country must fulfil its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its commitments under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and the Helsinki Final Act. Ukraine and the Russian Federation must abide fully by their bilateral agreements, including the 1997 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership and the 1997 basing agreement.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“Any referendum on Crimea must be conducted within the bounds of Ukrainian law. Accordingly, the United States joins with others in calling for the suspension of that ill-conceived initiative, which cannot be recognized as legitimate, especially when carried out against the backdrop of a foreign military incursion. We also call on the Russian Federation to refrain from further actions in support of this dangerous undertaking. The only true solution to the current crisis is through diplomacy. My Government strongly supports direct talks between the Russian Federation and the Government of Ukraine, to be conducted, if necessary, with appropriate help from the international community. Secretary Kerry will meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov tomorrow in the hope of finding a way off this path of confrontation.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“As the vote approaches this weekend, the Russian military intervention continues, and we learned this morning of new military operations by Russian troops involving artillery batteries, assault helicopters and at least 10,000 additional soldiers near the Ukrainian border. The proposed 16 March referendum on the status of Crimea is everything that the scheduled 25 May election is not. If the 25 May election offers an opportunity under the law for all Ukrainians to participate in charting their shared future, Sunday's referendum in Crimea is hastily planned, unjustified and divisive. Ukraine's Constitution requires that any change to its territory be achieved only through a national referendum. Because the Government has not authorized such a measure, the proposed balloting on 16 March would violate Ukraine's sovereignty.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“This is not the behaviour of people who believe that they have truth and law on their side. The self-anointed Crimean leaders set a referendum with full backing from Russia. That date was to be 25 May. They then reset the date for 16 March, allowing less than two weeks to prepare for and carry out a vote - two weeks on an issue of monumental importance, risking grave destabilizing consequences, in defiance of the Ukrainian Constitution and in defiance of international law. The referendum ballot that will be put to voters contains no option to vote for the status quo. Ballots with nothing checked will reportedly be ruled invalid.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“Russia has pursued a course of military action from the outset. At the very start of the crisis, Russia massed its forces along Ukraine's border for military exercises, while supporting efforts inside Crimea to take control of Ukrainian border posts, surround Ukrainian military facilities, seize control of public facilities, and replace Ukrainian media with Russian stations. President Putin asked for and received authorization from the Federation Council to use military force in Crimea, and today there are reportedly more than 20,000 Russian troops in the region. Although Moscow justified its actions in the name of protecting ethnic Russians, Russian troops have repeatedly obstructed international monitors and mediators and denied them access, even though their task is to ensure that the rights of minorities are not violated.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“Yesterday in Washington, DC, the Prime Minister met with President Obama and other leaders of my Government, and also with top officials of the International Monetary Fund. The Prime Minister's goal is to stabilize his country's finances, curb corruption, and lay the groundwork for progress under a new Government to be elected peacefully, freely and fairly by all the people okaraine on 25 May. These elections, which are just over two months away, will give any citizen who has a different vision for Ukraine the chance to be heard. It will give those who wish to shape Ukraine's future the chance to be elected. Ukraine's efforts to stabilize its economy and the coming elections merit the wholehearted support of every member of the Council and of the broader international community. In Moscow, we see a different kind of leadership.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“The Government of Ukraine has been unwavering in its pledge to honour all of its international agreements, including those covering Russian military bases. Ukraine has also shown remarkable restraint over the past few weeks with respect to the use of its armed forces. As evidenced today by the statement of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, Ukraine's voice throughout this crisis has been one of reason, support for the rule of law and restraint in the face of provocation. Its Government was voted in nearly unanimously by the Rada and has since enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum, including from former President Yanukovich's former party. The Government also includes representatives from across the country, east and west, north and south. Ukraine's leadership is properly focused on the needs of its people.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“This meeting comes at a time when every day we are seeing an ever starker contrast between the conduct of the authorities in Kyiv and the conduct of the authorities in Moscow. Let me consider each in turn. Ukraine's Government is placing a priority on internal reconciliation, plans for free and fair elections, and political inclusivity. It has proposed the creation of a task force to consider the possibility of enhanced autonomy for Crimea within Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders have made clear the future they wish for their people - a future of pluralism, prosperity and dignity; a future free of corruption and cronyism; a future in which the Ukrainian people do not have to choose between East and West.”
2014-03-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7134 (2014) · source
“To make matters right for all of the world's children is a daunting mission, but none could be more worthy of our resources, our dedication or our time.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Our hearts go out to Mangok Bol, a former lost boy now living in Boston, who has returned to his home village in South Sudan to try to find his nieces and nephews who have been abducted by militants from a competing ethnic group. When the 14 year-old Alhaji Babah Sawaneh testified before the Council in 2001, he said "taking my gun from me was a vital step" (S/PV4422, p. 8). In that context, I commend the Special Representative for her "Children, not soldiers" campaign. Boys and girls belong in playgrounds, not battlegrounds. Around their young shoulders, they should have school backpacks, not ammunition belts. Their hearts should be filled with optimism and hope, not terror at what the next day may bring.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“It is encouraging as well that the LRA has been forced to break up into small groups and that in 2013 the number of their attacks went down. The level of deaths and abductions attributable to those attacks, however, remains far too high. The world must not rest until Joseph Kony and his clique have been held accountable and the LRA has become just a horrible memory. Finally, in South Sudan, children are once again being made subject to all the ravages of war because the country's leaders have failed to settle their differences peacefully. Scared youngsters are wandering among the thousands of displaced persons, searching for their mommies and daddies.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“The cycle of vengeance between the Se'le'ka and anti-Balaka militias has been singularly repulsive in that nearly all of the victims on both sides have been unarmed. Children have been attacked, beaten, maimed, raped and killed, some by beheading. An estimated 6,000 young people have been recruited and trained to kill by armed groups, and in some cases girls have been forced into marriage. In addition, the outlawed Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) remains a threat in the Central African Republic and parts of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is heartening that, in December, 19 soldiers, including six young boys, defected from the LRA, and that they cited radio broadcasting produced by invisible children as giving them the courage to take that brave step.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Both sides have prevented injured children from receiving medical treatment and both, but especially the Government, have launched indiscriminate attacks in which children and other civilians have been killed. Babies, some killed and others barely breathing, have been pulled from the rubble caused by barrel bombs. On 22 February, the Council demanded a halt to such attacks and to the sieges that have forced many Syrians to choose between the certainty of starvation and the false promise of safety through surrender. The Al-Assad regime may be sure that our scrutiny of its actions as well as those of any who would recruit or target children will not let up until our demands are met and the savagery is stopped. In recent months, the Central African Republic has also been the scene of horrific violence.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“The United States is part of the United Nations- led "No lost generation" initiative that is striving to shield children from the fighting, reunite broken families and deliver opportunities for education. One four-year-old refugee in Turkey told UNICEF that he wants to become a surgeon so that he will be able to save his brother, who is still in Syria, should he get hurt. According to the Secretary-General's report of 27 January (S/2014/31), the Government and extremist groups have inflicted direct and unspeakable violence against children, including kidnapping, torture, maiming and murder. Pro-Government forces have detained children as young as 11 for alleged association with the Opposition and subjected them to beatings and other brutal mistreatment in order to extract confessions.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“These training standards should be shared with Member States, the African Union and other regional organizations involved in peacekeeping activities. All of us must press for the creation of birth registration systems in order to verify that a child is a child. As resolution 2143 (2014) does, we must each urge greater protections for schools, which are too often militarized. Today, Syria is at ground zero ofthe most appalling humanitarian catastrophe of our era, and children, Syria's future, are among the principal victims. Since the civil war began, more than 10,000 boys and girls have been killed, more than 1.2 million have become refugees, and more than 3 million are unable to attend school.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“No State or armed group has yet been delisted by the Secretary- General and 28 of the 52 listed parties are persistent perpetrators, who have been listed for more than five years. The Sudan is the one listed Government that still has not signed an action plan. But even when plans are developed, they have value only if implemented. Donors can help by sharing resources, and the United Nations must provide assistance and monitoring. The United States encourages the deployment of child protection advisers in all relevant United Nations missions. Further, we urge the United Nations to develop standardized training on child protection responsibilities so that United Nations peacekeepers who encounter violations respond effectively.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Chad and Yemen are among the countries that have recently made a commitment to further progress. To that end, I commend Ambassador Lucas for leading a Security Council working group trip to Burma to review the country's effort to fulfil its action plan. Rescuing children from armed conflict is not always a simple process, especially when they have experienced the trauma of direct involvement in Violence. Reintegration requires careful planning, money and the recognition that some scars, whether of body or mind, will heal slowly, if at all Yet for all the helpful activity, too many children are still being exploited, and some leaders have not thrown their weight behind eliminating this scourge.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“In 2012, as one example, the United States withheld security assistance that the Democratic Republic of the Congo needed to develop a second light infantry battalion until the Government there signed an action plan with the United Nations to address the use and recruitment of child soldiers. Within just a couple of weeks, the Government signed the action plan and is now working with the United Nations in a sincere effort to address the challenge. In 2012, the International Criminal Court sent a welcome message when it found Thomas Lubanga guilty of forcibly conscripting child soldiers in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Meanwhile, the United Nations has launched a systematic campaign to help Governments and armed groups develop action plans to end the use of child soldiers, 18 of which have now been signed.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“In fact, their implementation can spell the difference between hope and trauma and between life and death. My colleague's few issues are of a graver humanitarian concern than the impact of armed conflict on civilians. The horror is especially acute when the Victims or the perpetrators are boys and girls. In recent years, the tragic connection between children and war has assumed a prominent place on the global agenda. In 2008, the United States appoved the Child Soldiers Protection Act, which curtails United States military assistance, licences and sales to Governments that recruit or use child soldiers and which has given our diplomats leverage to engage constructively with Governments on the additional steps that they need to take.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“I thank Special Representative Ms. Zerrougui for her briefing and her tireless efforts on behalf of the world's young people. I also thank Executive Director Mr. Lake for his remarks and distinguished service. Special thanks go to the Foreign Ministers of Luxembourg and Argentina and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Lithuania for travelling here today and for lending his weight to addressing this critical issue. I especially welcome Alhaji Babah Sawaneh, whose knowledge of the challenge that we are discussing today is so deeply personal. The events in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s did much to awaken the world to the dimensions of the tragedy of children and armed conflict. As a former child soldier abducted when he was just 10 years old, Alhaji's presence is a reminder that the principles that we refer to here are not abstracts.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Therefore, the very simple questions for Russia today are the following. Why not support international mediation? Why is that not part of their remarks today? Why not support an observer mission? Why not engage directly with the Ukrainian authorities who want to resolve the crisis peacefully? Why not pull back their forces instead of sending more? Why not? When military intervention in the face of a crisis like this is the first resort, it is hard to avoid concluding that Russia does not want peace and does not want a diplomatic solution. Why choose military action when the consequences could be devastating? Only someone who fears the truth would be fearful of monitors who are deployed for the specific purpose of identifying and reporting the truth. That is all.”
2014-03-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7125 (2014) · source
“He packed up himself and his family and he left the seat of the presidency vacant for two days while his country was in crisis. He also left vast evidence of corruption and vast evidence of the amounts that he had stolen from the Ukrainian people. In that context, with 371 votes, the democratically elected Rada voted Yanukovych out of office, with his own party turning against him. That is the history. With respect to the present, what we have heard today - with the exception of one member of the Security Council, namely, the Russian Federation - is overwhelming support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and for peaceful dialogue. There are so many options available to Russia to safeguard the rights of ethnic Russians and to address the concerns that have been raised: so many options short of military action.”
2014-03-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7125 (2014) · source
“In response to my Russian colleague's comments, I would like to make a couple of points. First, I would like to address his point about the legitimacy of President Yanukovych and his point about the February 21 agreement, which he has made several times. To be clear, we commend the work done by France, Germany and Poland to mediate and negotiate that agreement, with Russia very much in observance. We would have been prepared to support the completion of that agreement. Under its terms, President Yanukovych had 24 hours to sign the first piece of action pursued in the Rada: the changing of the Constitution pursuant to the 21 February agreement. Not only did President Yanukovych not sign it but, as my Russian colleague reminds us, he left the city. Indeed he fled the city.”
2014-03-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7125 (2014) · source