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2014-10-24

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2016-10-19

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un-security-council

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1. “I would like to begin by thanking Foreign Secretary Johnson for his presence here today and for the United Kingdom's leadership on this issue. The United States strongly endorses the authorization of Member States to assist in the transfer and destruction of Libya's Category 2 chemical weapons outside of Libya. We are pleased that the Security Council was able to respond to the initiative of the Libyan Government of National Accord, working with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the international community, to facilitate the transfer and destruction of these chemicals. It was imperative that we act quickly in this instance to remove these chemicals in order to prevent possible capture and use by non-State actors.”

   2016-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7743 (2016) · source

2. “Lastly, the Joint Working Group emphasizes the beginning of voluntary returns and early recovery assistance that has been provided to the people of Darfur, but ignores the surge of displacements that occurred earlier this year in Jebel Marra, where tens of thousands of new internally displaced persons are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Finally, we reiterate that any exit strategy for UNAMID is pretty clear. It is one linked to the achievement of the agreed benchmarks on an inclusive political process, the protection of civilians and the prevention of violence. We look forward to progress on achieving those benchmarks.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

3. “For example, the Joint Working Group assesses that there were "no more rebel movements in four states", but the special report finds that the Sudanese military claimed victories in South Darfur earlier this year, conducted bombings in Central Darfur and pursued rebels in North Darfur in January. Moreover, we know from the past 10 years that the rebel movements are constantly mobile, and that any single snapshot in time is not necessarily indicative ofa larger trend. Also, how do we square the Joint Working Group's conclusions that "access is granted for most patrols" with the conclusion of the special report that UNAMID continued "to face severe restrictions on its access and freedom of movement in Darfur" (S/2016/510, para. 48)?”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

4. “The United States certainly welcomes and encourages cooperation among the Government of the Sudan, the United Nations and the African Union to efficiently and effectively implement the UNAMID mandate. But we must be clear that the Security Council, in order to conduct its business, will continue to rely primarily on the analysis and advice of the Secretary- General about the situation in countries on our agenda. We believe that the Joint Working Group's report downplays the scale of fighting in Darfur and is inconsistent with the special report of the Secretary- General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (S/2016/510).”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

5. “We urge the Government of the Sudan to allow the mission to carry out the mandate the Security Council has given it, including by not placing restrictions on its freedom of movement or its needed food and supplies. We understand that as of 23 June, all UNAMID food-ration shipments that had been held at Port Sudan by the Government of the Sudan had been cleared for release. We welcome that development and call on the Government of the Sudan to urgently release of the nearly 300 remaining containers of much-needed equipment, in compliance with its obligations under its status-of-forces agreement with the United Nations. I would like to briefly address the report of the Joint Working Group, which has been raised by some colleagues.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

6. “Lasting peace will come only from a negotiated solution that addresses the key political and security drivers of conflict in all areas of the Sudan. Civilians continue to suffer in Darfur with, according to the United Nations, at least 80,000 newly displaced in 2016 alone and more than 2 million internally displaced persons who are in need of aid and cannot return to their homes. In the absence of a comprehensive political agreement and in the face of those pressing needs, UNAMID plays a critical role in protecting civilians and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur. Any calls for the mission to leave the Sudan are woefully premature.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

7. “The United States supports the Security Council's adoption of resolution 2296 (2016), renewing the mandate of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) for another year. The United States welcomes the Government of the Sudan's recent declaration of a unilateral cessation of hostilities in Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile. We would like to see that declaration extended to the Darfur region as, unfortunately, fighting by the Government and its proxies continues in Darfur. An end to military offences and fighting in all of those areas would bring much-needed relief to thousands of Sudanese and create an improved environment for dialogue, leading to a political solution.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7728 (2016) · source

8. “While the United States is encouraged by the recent agreement among the signatories on the interim authorities, as well as by President Keita's decision to appoint a high-level representative on implementation, we continue to urge - as resolution 2295 (2016) rightly underscores - that all the signatories immediately implement the broad range of institutional, security, development and defence provisions ofthe agreement. Too much time has passed, patience is wearing thin, political will is dissipating and implementation is urgently necessary.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

9. “This would also help to deter the terrorist threat, which continues to claim the lives of Malian security forces and those supporting the Malian people, namely, the French forces and MINUSMA peacekeepers, to achieve the peace they have so long desired. We certainly pay tribute to their sacrifices in Mali. The Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali was signed over a year ago, and yet today it remains largely unimplemented. Failure to move forward and to take the political risks necessary for the greater good of Mali's enduring peace creates openings for spoilers and for terrorists.”

   2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

10. “This means that MINUSMA must take robust and active steps, including direct operations if necessary, against serious and credible threats. When MINUSMA is attacked or threatened as it carries out its mandate, MINUSMA is expected to act, and we are expected to ensure that MINUSMA has the ability to do so effectively. This is not ambiguous, as some have suggested; it is rational, and it is necessary when a mission is deployed in this kind of environment. It is a critical step forward for this peacekeeping mission. Today, the Security Council also affirmed that the gradual restoration and extension of State authority across Mali - and particularly the reformed and reconstituted Malian defence and security forces - would contribute to the stability that all Malians seek.”

    2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

11. “The Security Council is also requesting that the Secretary-General enhance MINUSMA cooperation with regional security initiatives, such as the Sahel Group of Five, so that the Mission has greater awareness of the broader regional security dynamics in which it operates. The Security Council took an important step today by reconciling the current MINUSMA mandate with its security environment and by calling on the Secretary- General and Member States to urgently give MINUSMA the capabilities it needs to enable the Mission's more mobile, proactive and robust posture in pursuit of its mandate. The resolution emphasizes that MINUSMA must anticipate, deter and counter threats, including asymmetric threats, to protect civilians and United Nations personnel.”

    2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

12. “Ten ofthose attacks used improvised explosive devices that targeted MINUSMA convoys. United Nations peacekeepers are increasingly being called upon to fulfil complex mandates in dangerous environments that include asymmetric threats. This requires more prompt, effective and agile responses by the United Nations system and Member States deploying or providing capabilities to successfully operate in such environments. It also requires clarity from the Security Council. In light of the volatile security situation, particularly in central and northern Mali, the Security Council's decision to reinforce the mission's vital protection of civilians and stabilization mandate should help to rationalize the mission's posture with the prevailing security environment.”

    2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

13. “I would like to begin by expressing the United States' deepest condolences to the victims and the families of those killed in the heinous terrorist attack at Istanbul's international airport yesterday. We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey and all of our friends and allies as we continue to confront the scourge and threat of terrorism. The United States welcomes the Security Council's unanimous vote today to extend the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) for an additional year. This decision comes at a critical time in Mali's history and for the future of United Nations peacekeeping. Over the past year alone in Mali, 27 MINUSMA peacekeepers have been killed. Over the past year alone, 112 have been wounded.”

    2016-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7727 (2016) · source

14. “We are heartened by those in civil society, from South Africa to Uganda, who have continued to show their solidarity with those who have suffered so much, and while it is easy to be daunted by the obstacles to accountability, the International Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur has brought some measure of hope to Victims of atrocities there. There can be both purpose and dignity in coming forward and speaking out about atrocity crimes. We commend the bravery of these victims and look forward to the day when they, like the Victims of the Habre regime, seejustice delivered in a court oflaw. The United States will continue to work with this Security Council and other partners in the international community to promote an end to Sudan's many conflicts and a just and sustainable peace.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

15. “The developments in the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal, including the recent conviction of former President Hissene Habre', are but one testament to the idea that the tenacity of Victims of mass atrocities in seeking justice should not be underestimated, and this example shows what is possible when Governments, regional bodies and victims' groups cooperate to ensure that justice is done. I would like to emphasize this point because, indeed, it is not just institutions and Governments that have a role to play. Individuals can help too, and they are essential.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

16. “While, as the Security Council noted in a letter to the ICC, the decisions of pre-trial chambers on the situation in Darfur have been brought to the attention of members of the Council, this is far from enough. We also continue to call on all Governments not to invite, facilitate or support travel for individuals subject to arrest warrants in the ICC Darfur situation, and for the Sudan to fully cooperate with the ICC, and we continue to believe that the Court's arrest warrants in the Darfur situation should be carried out. History has shown that the road to accountability can be long and difficult but that justice can ultimately triumph against long odds.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

17. “It is in that spirit that we thank the Prosecutor for her Office's continued investigations into abuses in Darfur and for her long-standing efforts to promote justice for attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers and peacekeepers by Government and armed opposition groups. We also continue to support UNAMID and its work, which is crucial to efforts to alleviate the suffering of civilians and to ensurin that allegations of atrocities can be investigated, as in the numerous cases of conflict-related sexual violence documented by UNAMID in 2015, and to which the Prosecutor refers in this report. It is critical that the Security Council, for its part, do more to help ensure compliance with resolution 1593 (2005) and press Sudanese authorities to fulfil the Sudan's obligation to cooperate fully with the Court and with the Prosecutor.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

18. “As we have seen in countless other settings after widespread Violence, reconciliation and justice are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive, and that is precisely why both are included in the August 2015 Peace Agreement, and it is precisely why the United States will continue to make every effort to both support the African Union in its establishment of the hybrid court and to promote reconciliation among the people of South Sudan. Neither in South Sudan nor in the Sudan is justice an impediment to unity and sustainable peace. Indeed, in both countries, justice is essential to it.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

19. “Indeed it is not, and these two leaders certainly have an immense task in front of them, but part of that difficulty - part of the challenge of rebuilding a nation - lies in pursuing both justice and reconciliation, not one at the expense of the other. The argument in this op-ed thatjustice will "destabilize efforts to unite our nation by keeping alive anger and hatred" could not be further from the truth.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

20. “Failure to provide accountability for the injustices the victims and survivors have incurred emboldens further abuses in the Sudan and outside of the Sudan. It is in that spirit and, I think, appropriate to our discussion today about the importance of justice, that we were surprised and disappointed to read the op-ed that appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, attributed to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar, which called for halting the very hybrid court both leaders agreed to support when they signed the peace agreement in August 2015. This op-ed offered a variety ofreasons for opposing the efforts being led by the African Union to bringjustice to the victims of South Sudan, perhaps most notably that "building a nation is not an easy task".”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

21. “Restrictions and impediments imposed by Khartoum have also precluded United Nations agencies from ascertaining the scale of civilian casualties and displacement from fighting, and from otherwise comprehensively reporting on the situation on the ground. These provocative acts - acts like kicking out the head of OCHA - have also done little to awaken the Security Council's readiness to respond. That is not how the system was supposed to work. Indeed, the Security Council's inability to agree on even the most basic responses to extraordinary provocations is a collective failure. As we consider this Vicious cycle and our seeming inability to agree on how to stop it, we at least must remain committed to reaffirming our commitment to justice for the victims of genocide and atrocities in Darfur.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

22. “For instance, on 15 April, to cite just one example, UNAMID aircraft en route to Misteri, West Darfur, had to modify their usual flight route following a warning from the Government of the Sudan that United Nations flights over the Sudanese-Chadian joint forces camps would be shot down. The Secretary-General has reported for months that the vacancy rates in UNAMID's human rights and protection-of-civilians sections are 50 and 40 per cent, respectively. These vacancies in the human rights and protection staff of UNAMID are unacceptable and they are due to the systematic denial of visas by the Government of the Sudan.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

23. “The United Nations has verified that 68,000 people have been displaced since January of 2016 due to the fighting, raising the total number of internally displaced persons in Darfur to more than 2.7 million, with 5.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Further compounding the problem has been the obstruction of humanitarian assistance, including food and critical medical care. We remain deeply concerned by the Government of the Sudan's de facto expulsion of the head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the face of this critical humanitarian situation. Likewise, access restrictions and other impediments imposed on UNAMID have hampered the Mission's ability to perform its most basic tasks.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

24. “I thank Ms. Bensouda for her briefing. The Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court in 2005. Since then, the instability, insecurity, violence and suffering in Darfur have continued unabated. But it is too facile to simply recall the acts of violence that recur year after year. That ignores the way in which these acts compound each other. This year, for instance, we see not only that the conflict between the Government of the Sudan and armed opposition groups has reignited in Jebel Marra, including such incidents as an attack by a group of unidentified armed men that wounded a peacekeeper from the African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID), but also the downstream consequences of repeated bombings including against civilian targets.”

    2016-06-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7710 (2016) · source

25. “But as our experience here has demonstrated, it is simply not true that pursuing justice frustrates reconciliation or upsets unity. It does the opposite. The pursuit ofjustice is vital to understanding the events of the dark past, to proving facts and disproving fictions. That some leaders in other contexts may prefer a course other than accountability suggests that they are interested in advancing objectives unrelated to our collective pursuit of sustainable peace.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

26. “The Tribunal has not completed almost all of its cases, with only two defendants remaining at the trial stage and two appeals ongoing. We have confidence that the ICTY can meet its commitment of completing its work by the end of 2017. In this regard, and in the light of President Agius's briefing, the United States would like to reiterate the importance of the full cooperation of all States concerned with the ICTY, including with respect to the execution of the arrest warrants issued by the ICTY for three individuals in a contempt case. We should be circumspect of leaders who suggest that justice comes at the expense of reconciliation or unity. Trials may be inconvenient to those who bear responsibility for grave crimes, be they Milosevic or Karadzie, Akayesu or Nahimana.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

27. “The United States of America will continue to its part, and we reiterate our offer of up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest of Fulgence Kayishema, Charles Sikubwabo, Aloys Ndimbati, Augustin Bizimana, Charles Ryandikayo, Pheneas Munyarugarama, Felicien Kabuga and Protais Mpiranya. The United States asks that President Meron and Prosecutor Brammertz make tracking and apprehending these remaining fugitives the primary focus of the Mechanism's work going forward. It has been too long. Before concluding, I would like to commend the ICTY, under the solid leadership of President Agius, on the progress made in completing its work over the past reporting period and for ensuring that justice is served expeditiously while respecting the rights of the accused.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

28. “Although some leaders, including in other contexts today, understandably fear trials and accountability, justice and, indeed, peace require our zealous pursuit of them. The Karadzie conviction and the December arrest by Congolese authorities of Ladislas Ntaganzwa are an important reminder of the fact that although time may pass, this imperative will not subside. It is to that end that we must remain persistent in our pursuit of the eight remaining fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The Mechanism needs to re-energize its efforts to apprehend these men, and the States Members of our Organization, especially in the Great Lakes region of Africa, must proactively contribute to our shared efforts to hold these men accountable.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

29. “These well-established facts render all the more sad and shameful the Council's failure to be able to adopt a simple resolution commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Srebrenica. The facts are well established, and, as one speaker said following the veto last year of a draft resolution recognizing these facts, denial is the final insult to the victims. Denial is of course dangerous, but the challenge posed by denial also highlights one of the most important contributions ofinternational justice in the process of establishing the facts and identifying individual responsibility. It is that it helps us understand what happened, how it happened, who is responsible - facts that, hopefully, allow us learn how to prevent such events from happening again.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

30. “In the 1995 order confirming the Srebrenica indictment against Karadzic', Judge Riad wrote that events of Srebrenica were "truly scenes from hell written on the darkest pages of human history". There were, he wrote "thousands of men executed and buried in mass graves; hundreds of men buried alive; men and women mutilated and slaughtered; children killed before their mother's eyes; a grandfather forced to eat the liver of his own grandson". The establishment of facts as part of the process of advancing justice is critical to counter those who seek to distort facts, revise history or rewrite reality. That genocide occurred in Srebrenica was firmly established by both the ICTY and the International Court of Justice. There is no fact-based debate; this is our history.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

31. “Most recently, in March this year, Radovan KaradZic', a person whom Ambassador Power recently described as "a man who believed he could do what he wanted when he wanted, consequences to others be damned", was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war. More specifically, the underlying crimes attributed to KaradZie included persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, forcible transfer, terror and unlawful attacks on civilians, among others. While legalisms and legal definitions can never adequately convey the inhumanity what happened, what was experienced and what was done to human beings, the pursuit of sober justice and the obedience to facts inherent in the process is essential if we are ever to stop these crimes from occurring again.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

32. “I would like to begin by welcoming the President of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Judge Agius, and to welcome and congratulate both Judge Meron on his reappointment in March as President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and Prosecutor Brammertz, who has assumed the role of Chief Prosecutor of the Mechanism while continued to serve as Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and, now, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals have been and are essential components in advancing peace and justice in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and in the development of international law.”

    2016-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7707 (2016) · source

33. “We must continue to watch this closely, and we must continue to uphold our responsibility to use the full range of tools available to us when such action is necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

34. “At the same time, we, as members of the Security Council, must renew our commitment to carefully monitoring the situation in South Sudan, including information we have received from the Panel of Experts about the arms flow that poses such a serious threat to the success of the Peace Agreement and the stability of South Sudan and the region. In light of the Panel of Experts' reporting that the parties were continuing to acquire arms even after they signed the Peace Agreement, in resolution 2290 (2016) the Security Council has, significantly, asked for a special report from the Panel of Experts on arms procurement since the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

35. “Injust five counties ofjust one state of South Sudan in just one year, there were as many violent deaths as there have been in all of Yemen since March 2015. A survey by the United Nations Development Programme also found that the levels of post-traumatic stress disorder are on a par with some of the worse conflict zones in modern history. The leaders of South Sudan must redouble their efforts to build a better future for their people by fully implementing the Peace Agreement, including the four reform pillars, drafting and adopting a permanent consitution, restructuring the security sector, establishing transparent management of public finances, and advancing transitional justice, including meaningful reconciliation and accountability.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

36. “The return of Rick Machar, his appointment as First Vice President, and the subsequent formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity are indeed significant steps forward, but they are only the beginning ofa long path towards peace and healing, and a long path towards justice. So long as there continues to be no meaningful progress on the other core elements of the Peace Agreement - which includes upholding the ceasefire, improving humanitarian access and ending attacks on humanitarians - the severe suffering of the millions of South Sudanese impacted by this conflict will continue. To convey a sense of the scale of the suffering, a report of the United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan states that in just five counties in South Sudan's Unity state, there were over 7,000 violent deaths in a single year.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

37. “As the Secretary-General has stated, the people of South Sudan have "been betrayed by those who put power and profit over people". He went on to refer to "epic corruption". There is no time to delay tackling these challenges. Now is the time to fully implement the Peace Agreement, which, as the Security Council has emphasized today, includes establishing the hybrid court and the mechanisms outlined in Chapter V of the Agreement in order to hold accountable those whose actions have cost so many - too many - lives needlessly. Today's resolution should remind South Sudan's leaders that there is no other path and no other choice but full and expeditious implementation of the Peace Agreement.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

38. “Finally, just over a month ago, the Transitional Government of National Unity was formed, fulfilling a key provision of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. Obviously, however, much more remains to be done. While we have now adopted resolution 2290 (2016), extending the sanctions framework for a year, we will be no less vigilant or focused on South Sudan as we have been for the past 90 days, and we will be no less prepared to augment or modify the sanctions regime as the situation on the ground demands and the conduct of the parties necessitates. We have all watched too much bloodshed in South Sudan. We have watched leaders prioritize power over peace, and we have watched the very real human consequences of their craven policies.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

39. “The Security Council has watched the situation in South Sudan particularly closely over these past three months. In early March, as the targeted sanctions established by resolution 2206 (2015) were due to be renewed, the Council extended them for 45 days. We proposed that somewhat unconventional approach because we wanted to keep the fluid situation on the ground under continuous review. In early April, seeing some tentative signs of progress but still no national unity Government, the Council extended the sanctions for another short period and simultaneously adopted presidential statement S/PRST/2016/3, reinforcing the steps the Security Council expected the parties to take. We expressed our intention to review progress on those benchmarks before the Security Council considered next steps on the sanctions regime.”

    2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7702 (2016) · source

40. “We encourage the leaders of the Sahel to continue to deepen their cooperation, including through the Group of Five Sahel and the Nouakchott Process, by coming to agreement on a shared vision of the region's threats and the efforts needed to address them, including improving the sustainable management of natural resources and effective, inclusive governance that both combats terrorism and addresses the conditions conducive to it.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

41. “But the devastation wrought by environmental degradation and challenges like severe drought and the scarcity of resources that come along with it can spark a kind of poverty and political volatility that are the oxygen of discontent and drivers of instability, if left unchecked. Recognizing that reality does not require us to be any less relentless in our pursuit of terrorists like Boko Haram or Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. We will not be. It just allows us to be more effective in doing so. As our discussion here today illustrates, complex and interrrelated governance, security and humanitarian challenges, exacerbated by the effects of climate change across the Sahel region, require urgent and fresh thinking and action.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

42. “In addition, the United Nations needs to mainstream preventing violent extremism and counter- terrorism issues throughout its core work on peace and security and sustainable development so that it can help Member States, including in the broader Sahel region, to deliver in those crucial areas. We also encourage the United Nations system and its partners to make further progress towards the effective implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, which was first endorsed by the Council in 2013 and should now be re-evaluated and updated so that it can better assist Governments of the region to mitigate against compound threats, including climate change. Let us be clear. No one is suggesting that Boko Haram was caused by climate change. It most certainly was not.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

43. “The United States is encouraged that, under Nigeria President Buhari's leadership, last week's Regional Security Summit committed to carrying out a sustained, comprehensive approach against Boko Haram that couples rights-respecting security operations with civilian efforts to restore stability and promote governance and economic development to break the cycle of violence in all countries where Boko Haram is active. The United Nations system, including the Special Representatives for West Africa and the Sahel and Central Africa, should continue to assist the Lake Chad Basin region to implement such a comprehensive strategy.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

44. “Indeed, Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien this week referred to the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region, where poverty and desertification have been compounded by Boko Haram violence, as the world's "most neglected, underreported, underfunded and least addressed". Military intelligence and law enforcement that protect human rights norms are vital to combating terrorism. In that regard, we applaud the important territorial advances made by the Governments of Nigeria, Chad, the Niger and Cameroon to roll back some of Boko Haram's safe havens in the Lake Chad Basin region. However, only a truly comprehensive strategy that mobilizes a broad range of stakeholders, including development and humanitarian actors, can address the conditions conducive to terrorism and the scars left in its wake.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

45. “Simultaneously, Boko Haram's barbaric terrorist campaign, now entering its seventh year, has greatly exacerbated the existing food insecurity faced by the population of the Lake Chad Basin region. The Boko Haram crisis has disrupted farming and trade and cut off communities from the means they require to subsist and to survive. Today, an estimated 4.2 million people are in need of emergency food assistance in the Lake Chad Basin region and 2.6 million are displaced within Nigeria and the neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, this humanitarian crisis has been but a blip on the screen of the international community, drawing only sporadic attention and a woefully insufficient response.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

46. “Unpredictable rainfall, higher temperatures, frequent droughts and natural disasters in the Sahel have augmented existing destabilizing pressures from terrorism to trafficking, and exacerbated the problems ofpopulation displacement and weak governance. Put simply, climate change is indeed a threat multiplier. The Boko Haram crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region starkly illustrates the interplay between climate change and security. According to a recent World Food Programme study, over the past half-century Lake Chad has receded drastically due to various environmental pressures, which has increased competition and conflict over already scarce resources, such as arable land and water, and degraded regional food security and quality of life.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

47. “Climate change is an aggravating factor, among other political, socioeconomic and security considerations, that exacerbates underlying tensions, undermines governance, contributes to resource conflicts and negatively impacts development. As Secretary of State John Kerry said last year, this is not about Bambi. This is about people and it is about poverty. While no conflict is caused solely by climate, to ignore the interplay between security and climate change - and there are few places where that interplay is felt more acutely than the Sahel - is to ignore fundamental realities. From Mauritania and Mali to the Lake Chad Basin to the Horn of Africa, we see the complex challenges exacerbated by climate change on peace, stability and security.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

48. “Let me begin by thanking Special Representative Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary Barbut, Executive Director Laborde and Ms. Ibrahim for their briefings today. I should also like to give a special thanks to Spain and Egypt for drawing the Security Council's attention to the urgent need to focus on the effects of the changing climate on security in the Sahel region. Some Council members have pushed back on the appropriateness of having this discussion in this forum. Skepticism about the relationship between climate change and security is not new, but skepticism does not make the facts any less serious or urgent. Climate change is not just about whether glaciers remain majestic or polar bears survive.”

    2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7699 (2016) · source

49. “We encourage the legislature to take the remaining steps to finalize the firearms and ammunition control act, which is an important piece of legislation in order to address gaps in Liberia's legal framework for arms and ammunition management. But perception is not the goal of a Security Council sanctions regime. Rather, the goal is to address a threat to international peace and security. That is not everything, but it is enough. The United States will continue to work closely with Liberia as it consolidates its progress towards peace and stability. Today we celebrate this transition and the role that the Security Council has played in helping restore peace in Liberia.”

    2016-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7695 (2016) · source

50. “Just as we must never hesitate to strengthen sanctions and their enforcement if necessary to address threats to international peace and security, so must we move expeditiously to wind down and end sanctions when they no longer serve the purpose or when they have achieved what was sought. That is not to say that Liberia's work to improve its internal security is finished. In order for Liberia to safeguard the gains achieved over the past 12 years, we encourage the Government to prioritize further capacity-building of its security sector by ensuring that it has the necessary legal framework in place and by continuing to strengthen the capacity of its security agencies to better monitor arms flows, mark weapons and patrol its borders.”

    2016-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7695 (2016) · source