YouSaid · the spoken record

Powles

lines on the record: 124
first: 1998-06-06
most recent: 2000-10-24
sittings or episodes: 20
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 should also encourage impact-assessment studies before, during and after the imposition of sanctions to ensure that their effects are appropriately focused and monitored. In conclusion, the Pacific Islands Forum delegations appreciate the opportunity to emphasize the need to integrate a gender perspective into this Council's work. A dual approach is needed. First, gender issues must be mainstreamed into all aspects of United Nations activities for the maintenance of peace and security. Secondly, women's participation in those activities must be improved. Today's open debate is a welcome step towards achieving those goals, and we hope that the Council will formulate an innovative and comprehensive programme for progress in these two very important respects.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We are pleased to note that the police training curriculum developed by UNTAET in East Timor includes modules on human rights, including women's human rights, and that recruitment for the East Timor Police Academy has attracted a substantial and growing proportion of women. This should help to ensure gender-sensitive perspectives in the local police force and attention to women's well-being in situations of domestic and wider violence. Women and children also tend to suffer disproportionately from the imposition of comprehensive economic sanctions. As we noted earlier this year, New Zealand supports "smart sanctions" to reduce the incidence of humanitarian suffering and mitigate any unintended negative consequences, particularly on women and children.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The symposium recognized women's roles as mediators and leaders for peace and called upon Governments to increase women's participation in the process of peace- building. Participants considered it essential that gender and conflict training be provided for armed forces and police. New Zealand strongly supports this proposal and commends the Secretary-General's efforts to include gender affairs officers in operations such as the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Through their work, the rights of women and girls are being promoted in all areas of UNTAET's activities. The Commonwealth Symposium also noted the increase in domestic violence during armed conflict and the need to address this during and after the conflict.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“In this regard we welcome, as some others have today, the Brahimi report's recommendation regarding equitable gender distribution in the appointment of mission leaders. Accordingly we hope that Member States will incorporate a gender perspective into their decisions on the implementation of the report. In particular we are concerned by the complete absence of women envoys or special representatives and encourage the Secretary-General to urgently address this imbalance. I would now like to say a few words on behalf of my own delegation only. New Zealand was proud to host the Commonwealth South Pacific Gender Symposium on Peace and Politics in June of this year. The participants noted that women and children suffer the impacts of violent conflict disproportionately - yet they are often the ones left to cope with these impacts.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“A gender-sensitive approach to peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building is essential and underlines the importance of ensuring adequate gender representation in all areas of the United Nations work dealing with peace and security issues. While the number of women serving in peace and humanitarian operations has been growing in recent years, the number of women employed in professional and policy positions continues to be low. We urge the Secretary- General to work to achieve gender equity throughout the Secretariat, including in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and to ensure that sufficient women officers and gender expertise are included in United Nations peace processes and operations and fact-finding missions.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Women have disproportionately borne the effects of conflicts in the region, such as the secessionist crisis that stretched from 1989 to 1998 on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville. Women's insistence that peaceful means be found to air grievances and attain a durable peace has been a constant underlying strength of the Bougainville peace process. Women's groups in the Solomon Islands have played a key role in bringing the parties together and maintaining the momentum that culminated in the recent settlement agreed in Australia at Townsville. We hope they and other members of civil society will continue to be involved closely in the peace-building process. In these countries, as in the aftermath of recent events in Fiji, women's full participation in peace- building is essential.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The Beijing + 5 review reaffirmed the importance of gender-sensitivity and analysis in assessing the impact of conflict, in working with those affected by it and in action to bring about lasting peaceful solutions. Beijing + 5 also recognized that situations of armed conflict are inextricably linked to violations of women's human rights, including through violence against women. It was noted that such violence was often of a sexual nature. Our delegations welcome the recognition of the seriousness of such acts in the Statute of the International Criminal Court, which makes certain forms of violence against women war crimes and crimes against humanity. The differential impacts of conflict on women, and the important role women have in peace-building, have been apparent from experience in the Pacific region.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The rights of women, their empowerment and the maintenance of peace and security are fundamentally linked. The Beijing Declaration notes that "Women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace". (A/CONF.I77/20/Rev.1, Annex 1, para. 13) It also recognizes the leading role that women have played in the peace movement and that women's full participation in decision-making, conflict prevention and resolution and all other peace initiatives is essential to the realization of lasting peace. In other words, women have both a key interest and a key role in the maintenance of peace and security.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“May I congratulate you, Mr. President, on taking the initiative of holding this timely and relevant open debate, and also join the previous speaker in congratulating your delegation generally on its performance during its presidency. I would also like to recognize the substantial contribution to this debate made by Ms. King and Ms. Heyzer this morning. I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the countries of the Pacific Island Forum represented in New York - namely, Australia, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and my own country, New Zealand. The past few years have seen increasing recognition of the many roles of women in relation to peace and security, and the effects on women of armed conflict.”
2000-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4208Resumption1 (2000) · source
“It is the New Zealand Government's wish to provide more assistance, but we can do so only when peace and security are restored to West Timor and international humanitarian personnel are able to return without fearing for their lives. We therefore call again for the earliest dispatch of the Security Council mission to Indonesia and East Timor to help this serious situation. Finally we wish to express our gratitude to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, and all UNTAET staff for their ongoing dedication to the preparation of East Timor for independence. New Zealand will continue to provide support to the East Timorese people and UNTAET as East Timor's journey to nationhood continues.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“West Timor must be rid of dangerous militia units that have demonstrated to the world that they care little for the stability of either East or West Timor. By their presence and actions these militia units are preventing the international community from helping the Government of Indonesia provide much-needed assistance to East Timorese refugees. The longer these militias prevail in West Timor, the more unstable the border with East Timor will remain, a situation no one can tolerate. Militia members, and especially their leaders, who are suspects in the recent murders of United Nations civilian and military personnel and innocent civilians, must be arrested immediately and put on trial. We say this not without understanding of the complexities facing the Government of President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for calling this open meeting of the Security Council and for the opportunity to address it. As I have said previously in the Council, New Zealand has a direct interest in the security and the stability of East Timor. In fact, as I speak, my Prime Minister is in Dili and will shortly be meeting New Zealand troops stationed with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in Suai. And earlier this week New Zealand United Nations peacekeepers clashed yet again with heavily armed and aggressive militia units in the Suai district, just eight kilometres from the West Timor border. We therefore strongly add our voice to calls by Council members and others for all the provisions of Security Council resolution 1319 (2000) to be implemented without delay by the Government of Indonesia.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“That is intolerable, and my delegation would like to take this opportunity to repeat New Zealand's expectation that the Indonesian Government will take effective action against those in West Timor and elsewhere in Indonesia who seek to undermine East Timor's political and territorial integrity and who are responsible for intimidation and violence against United Nations personnel and East Timorese civilians. A year after the historic ballot in East Timor, it is high time that the territory's political and territorial integrity was respected.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“I take this opportunity to repeat my Government's condolences in respect of his death and also in respect of the recent Australian and Bangladeshi casualties. In addition, there have been brutal attacks on staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Annabi, reported this morning, the situation appears to be getting worse, not better, with militias operating into the territory of East Timor, as well as along the border with West Timor.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“I appreciate this opportunity to speak to the Council again on the subject of East Timor, and I thank you for it, Mr. President. In June of this year my delegation expressed to this Council its concern following the militia incursions and attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, including the wounding of an Australian peacekeeper. Then in July a New Zealand peacekeeper was killed by the militia, and we took the opportunity to address the Council again, making the same point. On both occasions, we called for renewed efforts by the Indonesian Government to rein in the militia in West Timor. But since then, a Nepalese peacekeeper serving with the New-Zealand-led battalion group has been killed in combat.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“The increased direct participation of East Timorese people in the governance of the territory of the period under review is especially welcomed. But there must be no further violence against those who have been deployed in East Timor from so many nations around the world in the service of peace and under the mandate of this Council.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees must be given unimpeded access to these people, and they and other humanitarian workers must be given adequate protection. It is essential that law and order and security in and around the refugee camps be established as soon as possible. This is clearly the responsibility of the Indonesian Government and its armed forces and police. New Zealand condemns those who threaten East Timor's stability and the United Nations-sponsored process of peace and reconciliation for which Private Manning made the ultimate sacrifice. The Secretary- General's valuable report makes clear the substantial progress achieved by UNTAET over the past six months in the face of enormous challenges.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“We again urge the Indonesian Government to redouble its efforts to put an end to all militia activity in West Timor. This will require effective action to disarm and disband the militia groups. These extremists must be dealt with firmly. Furthermore, the continued large-scale presence of refugees in West Timor provides cover for the militias' existence and activities. We are deeply concerned that repatriation of refugees to East Timor has virtually halted. They continue to face threats and intimidation. The Indonesian authorities must take effective steps to remove obstacles to the repatriation or resettlement of the refugees in accordance with their wishes.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“My Government is grateful for the messages of sympathy from the Security Council expressed in the statement to the press by you, Madam President, on behalf of the Council, on Tuesday. It has been passed on to Private Manning's family. The condolence messages this morning, including from Assistant Secretary-General Annabi on behalf of the Secretary- General, are also very much appreciated and similarly will be passed to Private Manning's family. Now we demand that those responsible for his death be brought to justice. We welcome the undertakings given to this effect by the Indonesian Government and trust that there will be the fullest cooperation among the parties concerned to achieve this outcome. The dangerous security environment along East Timor's border with Indonesia has been allowed to persist for far too long.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“The death of a United Nations peacekeeper on active service is an all too common event. I think of the casualties suffered by troop-contributors to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) only recently. What singles out Private Manning's death, perhaps, is the circumstances surrounding it. Only last month in this Chamber, we spoke of our concern at recent militia incursions and attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, including the wounding of an Australian peacekeeper. While acknowledging the positive actions taken by Indonesia up to that point, we called in June for renewed efforts by the Indonesian Government to rein in the militias in West Timor.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this meeting. I am instructed by my Government to speak today because of its concern over the situation which led to the killing on Monday this week of a New Zealand soldier deployed as a United Nations peacekeeper in East Timor. As the Council is aware from an earlier briefing by the Secretariat, Private Manning was a member of a small reconnaissance patrol sent to follow up reports by local East Timorese of a militia presence near the border with West Timor. At 10.30 am. East Timor time on 24 July, the patrol was engaged by a group of suspected militia lying in wait in well-defended positions, and during the action, Private Manning was killed. When his body was recovered some hours later, it was found to have been mutilated.”
2000-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4180 (2000) · source
“In addition, the Security Council has a key role to play in addressing more broadly the impact of armed conflict on children. We welcome its continued commitment to do so.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“New Zealand was pleased to be able to provide modest financial support for the Asia Pacific conference on the use of children as soldiers in Nepal in May, organized by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, a non-governmental organization. We also welcome the initiative of the Canadian Government in planning the Winnipeg international conference on war-affected children in September. We hope that initiatives such as these, coupled with broad ratification and concerted implementation of legal standards for the protection of children such as the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict and the Statute of the International Criminal Court, will lead to the elimination of the use of children as soldiers.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We also support the Secretary-General's emphasis on the particular vulnerability of the girl child, on the necessity of addressing children's needs during peace processes, on the need to end impunity for human rights violators, and on the important role non-governmental organizations can play in monitoring and minimizing the impact of armed conflict on children. I think we would all agree that much work needs to be done to promote awareness of the impact of armed conflict on children and to encourage States to address it. Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector all have important roles to play in this process.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“One measure already instituted by the Council and which has our full support is the appointment of Child Protection Advisers in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This initiative is a concrete example of the creative and practical means which can be employed by this Organization to address the impact of armed conflict on children. The Secretary-General's recent report highlights the need for comprehensive measures to address the impact of armed conflict on children in all its aspects. In this respect, we support him in urging the Council to seek to minimize the unintended consequences of sanctions on civilian populations, including children, through effective targeting and humanitarian exemptions.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Once established, the Court will help end impunity for a range of war crimes, including the use of young children in armed conflict and attacks on civilian targets, such as schools, where children may be harmed. The development of new legal standards must be supported by effective efforts in the field to ensure their implementation. In this respect, I would like to pay tribute once again to the work of the Secretary- General's Special Representative, Olara Otunnu, and to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its Executive Director, Ms. Carol Bellamy. We particularly appreciated their contributions this morning. The United Nations, its agencies and its institutions can and do contribute significantly to protecting children from the effects of armed conflict and to addressing the needs of children in the aftermath of war.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We hope that the age limit of 18 years for participation in armed conflict will become the new international standard. For the Optional Protocol to be effective, it will need to be widely ratified. We urge States to accord priority to the child soldiers issue and to work towards signature and ratification of the Optional Protocol. Another significant step has been the conclusion of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. New Zealand is currently progressing domestic legislation that will enable it to ratify the Statute in the near future. This will include the extension of "universal jurisdiction" over war crimes, as defined in article 8 of the Statute.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“When we met to discuss this issue last August it was clear that to enhance the United Nations central role in the protection of the world's children Member States needed to pursue progress in improving the international legal standards for the protection of children in the context of armed conflict. The opening for signature on 25 May of the Convention on the Rights of the Child Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict is thus a very welcome development. The success of the negotiations was due in no small part to the perseverance and skill of the Chair of the Working Group, Ambassador Catherine von Heidenstam of Sweden, and we acknowledge her substantial contribution. We believe that the Optional Protocol, once it enters into force, will be a significant addition to the protection of children's human rights.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Ijoin other speakers in thanking you personally, Madam President, for calling this special debate - following a similar debate last year - on the issue of children in armed conflict. My delegation also commends the Secretary- General for his comprehensive report. Wide-ranging and innovative measures are recommended to address the problem of children and armed conflict, which we hope will receive the Council's fullest consideration. We welcome the Secretary-General's emphasis on the importance of preventing armed conflict as the principal means of protecting children from its effects.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Both these aspects will be critical for the unique United Nations task of preparing the territory of East Timor for independence. Those are the main points I wish to make today.”
2000-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4165 (2000) · source
“My Government very much welcomes the proposal by UNTAET and the National Council of Timorese Resistance for co-government in East Timor, which was foreshadowed at the very successful donors' meeting in Lisbon last week. It represents a significant step towards greater participation by East Timorese in government and shared political responsibility. We would want to encourage UNTAET and the East Timorese people to develop further the necessary constitutional and political frameworks to prepare East Timor for full independence. This process must have East Timorese ownership and be driven by the East Timorese, but it will obviously also require active input by UNTAET, drawing on the best constitutional advice available.”
2000-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4165 (2000) · source
“New Zealand currently has over 600 of its defence force personnel patrolling the western border of East Timor under the United Nations flag, so our interest is real and direct. We are also concerned about the deteriorating security situation in some refugee camps in West Timor, which has led to the suspension of United Nations relief assistance. We acknowledge the actions taken by Indonesia to date, but call for renewed efforts by the Indonesian Government to rein in the militias in West Timor. My delegation therefore agrees strongly with the unequivocal comments made in this regard at this meeting by several members of the Council.”
2000-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4165 (2000) · source
“I shall try- not least because of the lateness of the hour - to be very brief. May I first of all express through you, Mr. President, my appreciation to Mr. Vieira de Mello for the excellent briefing he has given today and, indeed, to thank you, Sir, for the opportunity provided to non- members to participate in a public meeting of the Council under your presidency on this important issue. The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) has made very considerable progress on the security and humanitarian aspects of its mandate since its establishment. We must, however, express our concern at the recent incursions by militias and attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, including the wounding of an Australian peacekeeper.”
2000-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4165 (2000) · source
“Safety and humanitarian relief cannot be assured without it, and arrangements for repatriation can be seriously hampered when militias exert power over displaced people. Coupled with this is the need to ensure access for civilian populations to sources of humanitarian assistance. The diversion or withholding of relief supplies as a means to political ends is contrary to the principles of humanity and should attract appropriate sanctions. We are grateful for the opportunity to have spoken on these important matters in the Security Council today, and we look forward to the Council's continuing to carry out its key leadership role.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“That report will set the tone for future debate on the topic and act as a fresh stimulus towards concrete action on expansion of the Convention's scope. The violation of the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons is not necessarily separately covered in international law. Nevertheless, such people are of course covered by international human rights law. States have no excuse for not following these principles and the legal guidance based on them, contained in the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. Finally, the importance of the separation of combatants and other armed elements from civilians in refugee camps has been starkly demonstrated on numerous occasions, including in the Great Lakes region of Africa and in Timor.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“New Zealand also strongly supports the extension of the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel to cover a broader range of personnel and a greater variety of United Nations missions. We saw the danger that some of those working with the United Nations came under in East Timor. Abduction and murder of humanitarian workers takes place too regularly in arenas such as Chechnya. The targeting of these dedicated people, who are often working in extremely difficult circumstances to bring relief to the civilian population, is cynical and brutal, and we should do all in our power to have it stopped. We look forward to the report of the Secretary-General, due in May 2000, that will include recommendations addressing the scope of legal protection under the Convention.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“There will be universal jurisdiction for these offences which will allow the prosecution in a New Zealand court of a person who is not a New Zealand national and who did not commit the offence in New Zealand. It is intended that these offences will come into force on the passage of the legislation, which will mean that New Zealand will be in a position to institute prosecutions in its courts from an early date. This is particularly important in the period before the International Criminal Court comes into existence. New Zealand urges other countries to accelerate their ratification processes so that the International Criminal Court can be established in the near future. This would seem a most appropriate way to signal that the new millennium is also the beginning of a new phase in international criminal justice.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We look forward to the outcome of the Indonesian Government's investigation into Violations of human rights in East Timor and to the holding of those responsible for such violations fully accountable under the law. New Zealand is firmly committed to ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It will shortly introduce legislation to Parliament to implement various obligations contained in the Statute, and New Zealand hopes to be in a position to ratify the Statute within the next few months, once that legislation has been passed. At the same time, my Government has decided to create new offences of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We hope that this will change in the near future with the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court. The recent experience of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda illustrates the potential of the International Criminal Court. Over the last year there have been a number of arrests and convictions in both Tribunals. These confirm that international criminal tribunals can and do work. However, their importance goes beyond dealing with past events in those particular countries. They serve notice that the international community is serious in its resolve to bring perpetrators of atrocities against civilians to justice and to put an end to the climate of impunity.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The optional protocol's focus on the demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers recognizes that, in tandem with legal safeguards, practical action is required to protect children from the effects of conflict. The recent appointment of child protection advisers in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a welcome development in this regard. As the Secretary-General has pointed out, the problem of protection of civilians lies not so much in the absence of law as in the refusal of belligerents throughout the world to respect that law. The most urgent need is to create a "climate of compliance" with international law. At present the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms means that an essential component is missing.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“In the last few months the international norms have been further developed in the child soldiers optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in any society. As the Secretary-General and others have noted, they are often among the worst affected in a conflict situation. They will also bear the scars of conflict into their adult years, not just through injury and trauma, but through lost opportunities to gain an education and to grow up in normal social surroundings. This can lead to the perpetuation of a culture of conflict. It is crucial that special measures be taken to protect children from the effects of armed conflict, and to prevent them from participating.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“When heads of State or Government gather here in New York in early September for the Millennium Summit, we believe the international community will be presented with an unparalleled opportunity to make further progress collectively. The Secretary-General's millennium report offers valuable guidance on the protection of the vulnerable. The Secretary-General notes in particular the need to reassert the centrality of international humanitarian and human rights law. I think it is generally agreed that current humanitarian law includes all the necessary principles and basic rules to guide us. There is some further work to be done in specific areas, but the fundamental principles are well established and incontrovertible.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Ingvar Carlsson, former Prime Minister of Sweden, brief the Council on the findings of the Independent Inquiry into the failure of the international community to prevent the systematic slaughter of some 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994. And the Secretary-General himself provided last November his own report on the fall of Srebrenica. We welcome the fact that the Council has taken the initiative, through the establishment of its informal Working Group, to take the matter of the protection of civilians in armed conflict yet a stage further in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter, and we strongly endorse action on today's draft resolution. By this draft resolution the Council clearly indicates that it intends to keep the question firmly at the fore of its agenda.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The speed and effectiveness of the Council's response in the case of East Timor was exemplary and sets a benchmark for the future discharge by the Council of its key role in combating the deliberate targeting of civilians. New Zealand, for its part, along with many other countries represented in this Chamber, contributed promptly to the multinational force authorized by the Council and continues to participate in the successor United Nations peacekeeping operation through what is our largest deployment overseas in nearly 50 years. In the interval since the Secretary-General's report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict we have also been reminded of our failures. Last Friday we heard Mr.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Exactly one week after the Secretary-General presented his report of 8 September 1999 on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the Security Council authorized the deployment of a multinational force to East Timor to restore peace and security. In the days leading up to this decision the media had conveyed shocking images of violence against civilians and their large-scale dislocation by the militias in a pattern of reprisal following the United Nations-conducted popular consultation. Members of the Council, under the leadership of Ambassador Andjaba of Namibia, travelled to Dili to assess the situation at first hand and to report to the Council.”
2000-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4130Resumption1 (2000) · source
“It is essential that all Member States respect their obligation to comply fully with the measures imposed against UNITA contained in resolutions 864 (1993), 1127 (1997) and 1173 (1998). The Panel's report points the way towards the more effective use of the sanctions tool by the Council in the future. For sanctions to remain credible, the Council must act when violations are brought to its attention, as they have been in the case of Angola. We therefore strongly endorse positive action on today's draft resolution, which contains a comprehensive range of measures to ensure the cessation of the violations identified in the report of the Panel of Experts.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We cannot forget that an estimated 1 million people have died in the fighting in Angola over the past 25 years. That is despite successive United Nations peacekeeping and mine-clearance operations to which my own country contributed throughout much of the last decade. Nor can we forget the callous shooting down of two United Nations aircraft, in December 1998 and in January 1999; the perpetrators of those acts have still to be brought to justice. The Panel's report casts some sunlight on the subterranean world of sanctions-busting in diamonds, arms and military equipment and other means of support for UNITA's continued war against the legitimate Government of Angola. That war continues to take the lives of 200 persons each day. UNITA must be deprived of the means to wage war.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Let me congratulate you, Mr. President, on bringing this important matter to the Council in this open format. I would like also to acknowledge the significance of the presence here today of the Foreign Minister of Angola. One of the key findings of the study entitled "The Sanctions Decade", which was launched yesterday morning by the International Peace Academy, is that the most important element in the success of sanctions is the degree to which they are enforced. My Government believes that Ambassador Fowler, by his leadership and his energetic chairing of the Angola sanctions Committee, and the Panel of Experts, which has reported specifically on violations of the Angola sanctions regime, have done the people of Angola and the United Nations a tremendous service.”
2000-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4129Resumption1 (2000) · source
“I would like to conclude by strongly endorsing the final comment of the Secretary-General in his report: "The international community's key role in this process is to provide clear, consistent and determined support to an overall peace process and to offer long- term assistance with development." [S/2000/10], para. 1 19] If there is one point we would add to that, it is the crucial importance of timeliness of response.”
2000-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4118Resumption1 (2000) · source
“In this situation, further political progress is clearly necessary to encourage complete disarmament. We have studied the comprehensive report the Secretary-General has provided on this important subject. Inevitably, his report focused on the subject from a global perspective, while my comments today have been from the perspective of my country's ongoing involvement on the ground in East Timor and Bougainville. But I would like to take this opportunity to particularly endorse the Secretary- General's recommendations regarding the dreadful use of child soldiers, and we would also emphasize the need to address the specific situation of girl soldiers.”
2000-03-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4118Resumption1 (2000) · source