YouSaid · the spoken record

Rae

lines on the record: 103
first: 2021-11-22
most recent: 2023-12-15
sittings or episodes: 17
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

“We need to meet humanitarian needs, address the acute security situation and mount an effective response to cholera. If we fail to turn the dial back on cholera and quickly reduce the current wave, it will threaten to overtake everything else that we are doing, which would be very serious. We also have to support Haiti for the long term, which I believe is critically important. We cannot come and go in our engagement. We cannot stay for a bit without figuring out a way to make our support sustainable. In doing so, humanitarian, human rights, development and peacebuilding actors operating within and outside of the country must significantly enhance integration and coordination in order to maximize the impact of such efforts.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“Secondly, we cannot lose sight of the root causes of Haiti’s challenges, many of which have been mentioned: extreme poverty, impunity and the corrupt collusion between the political and economic actors. Sanctions are, I believe, one important tool, and, yes, they are having reverberations on the ground. It will be key that we all strongly continue supporting the full implementation of resolution 2653 (2022). Much work remains ahead to support Haitians in addressing poverty, corruption, lawlessness and violence at every level. Thirdly, while there are no “quick fixes”, which is a phrase that I have heard many times, to Haiti’s current crisis, we need immediate action. We cannot merely use the line that we cannot fix the problem quickly. Rather, we need to think systematically about the steps we need to take.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“First — others have said it, but I will repeat it — the international community can help only if we recognize that the approaches that have been taken in past decades have not worked. They have not been sustainable. They have not lasted. They have not taken hold in the country. They have not effected the changes that have to be made. It is clear — once again many have said it, but we must not only say it, but mean it — that solutions must be led by the people and the leadership of Haiti, not Canada, the United States, anyone here, any country or the United Nations. And we need to make a concerted effort to understand the needs of Haitians and to support the country’s plan to address the crisis. But plans have to come from within the country, and they have to be the result of a deep and sustained political dialogue there.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“As many have said, the challenges facing the country are complex, multidimensional, historical and interrelated and pose a serious threat to the country’s peace, security and prospects for sustainable development. (spoke in English) Since Haiti’s recent multifaceted crisis emerged following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last summer, our Advisory Group has met on 10 occasions, including at the leadership level in September. It has issued six joint statements as the crisis has unfolded. The Group has grown, with the Republic of Kenya and Barbados having recently joined. Members of the Advisory Group are fully aligned in their desire to support Haiti. We are based principally in the region, but additional countries are planning to come on board. In that regard, on behalf of the Group, I would like to emphasize four key points.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“It is not a myth; it is a reality that is documented in all the reports of the Human Rights Council. Many schools remain closed. Most children are not attending school. That is a reality, not a myth. Farmers cannot plant or harvest food. Businesses cannot operate without having to pay out bribes to make their way through a labyrinth of intimidation. The humanitarian situation is extremely serious and entirely unacceptable. The number of cholera cases is increasing, with a significant impact on children. Many have already died. We do not know exactly how many, as the means for recording the names of those who have lost their lives are lacking.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“The situation remains very grave. The main national roads running to the north and south of the capital are blocked. Imagine if major artery Interstate 95 were blocked every 20 or 30 kilometres. Would that be a tolerable situation for the people of New York, New Jersey or elsewhere? No, it would not; it would make life is impossible. The people in Haiti are living in impossible conditions vis-à-vis their daily lives and economy. It is impossible to talk to anyone in Port-au-Prince who has not experienced a kidnapping in their family, which was a reality brought up in the discussions that I had. I spoke with people who said that they had to pay ransom for their mother or brother. It is not an exception; it is part of life in Haiti. Women and girls are subjected to horrific sexual violence.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“Two weeks ago, I visited Port-au-Prince in my national capacity for three days and was at first struck by the prevailing calm in the streets. Unfortunately, it was not at all because the security situation had improved. The streets were quiet because people were unable to leave their homes out of fear. Or they had perhaps already fled. Thousands of people have left the country to find a safe haven for them and their families. That is the reality of the situation. Heavily armed gangs currently control most of Haiti’s capital. I will say with all due respect to everyone listening to me that that is not a myth; it is the reality of the situation, which cannot be denied. It is having a significant impact on the flow of fuel, food and the needed medicines, while humanitarian aid is unable to be delivered to the population.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“Mr. Rae (Canada) (spoke in French): I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Economic and Social Council Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti. The Advisory Group comprises 21 Member States that are committed to supporting Haiti’s long-term socioeconomic development. I am proud to see my colleagues from Rwanda, Kenya, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, who are with us today. I also want to personally thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General La Lime, whom I still see on the screen via video-teleconference patiently listening to us. I also want to thank my colleague from Gabon, who is doing such important work in the cause peace and justice, and I commend him on his briefing today.”
2022-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9233 (2022) · source
“In the past, we were not able to find the formulas, but that does not mean that we should stop looking for them. (spoke in French) The people of Haiti deserve our support, our encouragement and our respect. In that spirit, Canada will continue to work with all Council members and with our Haitian and Dominican Republic partners.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“Secondly, how do we immediately and effectively increase accountability for criminality, which involves not only policing, but also the entire justice system? Thirdly, how can we assist the political dialogue without interfering in it? How do we make sure that it happens without telling people what to do? Fourthly, how do we respond to the immediate food and energy crisis and, at the same time, assist the Government of Haiti in building a long-term plan for prosperity and investment? Finally, how do we engage a more concerted and comprehensive response from the region, as my colleague from Kenya pointed out, from the Caribbean Community, from the Dominican Republic itself and from the wider international community, including Africa, while ensuring that we have full Haitian ownership and responsibility for political change?”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“That said — it is easy to say, but not so easy to do, but we need to do that — we must also stop the guns, and we must find an effective way to do that. (spoke in French) Canada is ready to support the Government of Haiti in strengthening its capacity to fight corruption, economic crime and money laundering. To that end, we will continue to build the capacity of Haiti’s legal institutions to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes. (spoke in English) I have five questions, which, I hope, not just the Security Council but also many Member States can consider. First, how do we quickly bring an end to the violence, while avoiding the mistakes that were made in the past by past interventions? I think that we must understand that that is a critical focus.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“At the same time, we urge the Council to ensure — many others commented on this, and I agree with them — that the measures are effectively targeted and that they do not hinder the ability of the United Nations to support the Haitian people. I was very encouraged by the comments in that regard of a large number of representatives, including from the Russian Federation, Brazil and China. I think that it is extremely helpful for us to agree that sanctions may be required, but they need to be the right sanctions against the right people. They must not in any way, shape or form slow down the need to aid Haiti in its time of need and must ensure that humanitarian and development assistance is in no way negatively affected.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“Together with the United Nations and the Haitian National Police, we established and funded a basket fund, managed by the United Nations Development Programme, which will help to ensure that international assistance for security is more effective and coordinated. We welcomes the pledge recently announced, on Friday, by the United States in support of that fund, and I must say to all participants that we encourage other Member States to contribute because it is vitally important. We also welcome, and it was affirmed by many statements made today, the possibility of further measures to be taken by the Security Council to help Haiti to curtail the power of armed gangs.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“That includes assistance to help Haiti to identify the root causes of the complex and interconnected challenges that it faces. We should support Haiti in creating the conditions for an inclusive national dialogue — today I was glad to hear the update from Foreign Minister Généus — to enable all people to chart a course towards credible elections and the return to a stable and democratic Government. We must ensure that we provide Haiti with all the support that it needs to leave no one behind. That clearly means giving women and young people the opportunity to play their important role in shaping their future. (spoke in English) In Canada, we answered the call to help the Haitian National Police to tackle armed gangs that are — and this is no exaggeration — literally terrorizing the Haitian population.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“Haitians are leaving the country or are internally displaced. Yet we must recognize the remarkable resilience of the people of Haiti. Given that reality, the international community must increase its resolve and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Haitians to help overcome those complex challenges, especially as tensions continue to mount. (spoke in French) Canada’s commitment to Haiti continues. Last week, in collaboration with our Caribbean partners and the Government of Haiti, Prime Minister Trudeau hosted a meeting of the Economic and Social Council’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti. As friends, neighbours and partners of Haiti, we discussed the importance of stepping up our support to the country, not only in the short term but also in the long term.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“I had an opportunity to travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic in late August, as Chair of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti of the Economic and Social Council and in my national capacity. I think everything that needs to be said has been said about the depths of the challenges that we face in the country. Armed gangs have encircled Port-au- Prince, endangering the safety and security of its residents. The country’s main courthouse was for a time overrun by gangs — almost a metaphor for the collapse of law and order. Children are unable to get to school. Many Haitians face chronic food shortages, as we heard, and food insecurity is on the rise. In Cité Soleil and other areas, pregnant women cannot access essential health services due to gang violence. Businesses are closing.”
2022-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9136 (2022) · source
“We call on partners to join us in providing rapid, flexible funding to women and women-led organizations at the front lines of peace and security. I want to say briefly, in my national capacity, that in Ukraine and Myanmar — as has been stated by others, including the representatives of Ireland and Liechtenstein today — we cannot deny the fact that there is evidence that gender-based violence is being used as a deliberate weapon of war. That is not only disturbing, but it sets us back — not just a few years but, frankly, centuries.”
2022-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9064 (2022) · source
“Secondly, we are encouraged that we are actually making quite a lot of progress, and we commend initiatives already taken to strengthen collaboration, including with the United Nations, in order to improve data disaggregation and gender analysis, share best practices and coordinate gender-responsive and human rights-based approaches so as to ensure the meaningful inclusion of women, in particular those from traditionally marginalized groups. We believe that the Peacebuilding Commission’s advisory and convening role can also play an important role in supporting those efforts. Finally, it is critical that regional partners support safe and enabling environments for women peacebuilders, human rights defenders, activists and gender equality advocates.”
2022-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9064 (2022) · source
“While Member States are expected to implement women and peace and security resolutions, I want to emphasize the role that regional and subregional organizations play. In conflicts and crises, including in contexts of seizures of power by force, regional organizations and networks provide much support in conflict prevention, mediation and resolution. We urge them to promote women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects and at all levels of peace and security processes.”
2022-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9064 (2022) · source
“I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, an informal network of 66 Member States, representing all five regional groups of the United Nations and the European Union. I want to congratulate you, Mr. President, and your country, Albania, on convening this important debate. I want to emphasize three points. First, we must continue to take swift and concerted action to fully implement resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions on women and peace and security. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in a situation where women and girls, in very diverse situations and conditions, will continue to be sidelined from political and peace processes, live in fear for their safety, face reprisals for raising their voices and be subjected to violence, including sexual and gender-based violence.”
2022-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9064 (2022) · source
“And we must use the same collective will to protect those who are suffering in conflicts around the world at the hands of too many, whose actions — in flagrant violations of the rules of war and humanity — continue with little accountability.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We must collectively build a stronger incentive structure for compliance with international law and strengthen the Council’s two- decade-old architecture for the protection of civilians. In Ukraine, our solidarity has translated into unprecedented sanctions against the Government of the Russian Federation and a willingness to hold its forces accountable for clear violations of international law. There should be no place in the world where the most serious violations of international law can be committed with impunity. (spoke in English) Russia’s unprovoked and illegal actions in Ukraine shock the conscience of humankind. But its horrific conduct has reinforced our collective will to defend the very international order that it is attempting to undermine.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“What are we doing to make sure that international humanitarian law — the protocols and conventions that we adopted — are actually now built into our domestic laws, what we do nationally and what are practices really are? Secondly, we have to make sure that there is scrupulous adherence to international humanitarian law by our State and non-State partners. Thirdly, when parties to armed conflict commit serious violation, we must hold them to account — diplomatically, through collective sanctions; militarily, by supporting Governments, like Ukraine, that are defending themselves under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations; and legally, through prosecution at the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and other bodies. (spoke in French) Our solidarity is our strength.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Yet we continue to witness these violations — in Ukraine, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Myanmar and in many other places. Deliberate attacks on hospitals, schools, homes and essential infrastructure have become all too familiar, carrying with them devastating effects, particularly for women, children and the disabled — those least able to take care of themselves. Non-compliance and a lack of accountability mean there is less space for humanitarian actors. Sometimes our instinct in response to these horrors is to do something — adopt a resolution, create new laws. But I wonder if that is really the right approach. First, we must examine ourselves.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That is why we have to look at the peace and security architecture of the United Nations, including the Security Council veto. The recent resolution adopted by the General Assembly opens the door for greater — and needed — scrutiny of every veto and will give all Member States the opportunity to consider recommendations for collective measures, instead of a blocked Security Council. When armed conflict does arise, the laws of war are uncontroversial — they protect those who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities. And they prohibit means and methods of warfare that cause unnecessary suffering. Were parties to armed conflict to scrupulously follow the law, we would not be discussing humanitarian access and, most important, the vast majority of harm to civilians and civilian objects would be avoided.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“(spoke in English) Tragically, we are witnessing this daily in Ukraine, where there is still no end in sight to the horrors of what has been dubbed the Russian war machine or the “atrocity factory”, as one scholar has called it. The Russian Federation’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine has cast a glaring spotlight on two problems undermining the protection of civilians in armed conflict — first, the abuse of the veto power and, secondly, the glaring lack of accountability for violations of international law. We all know the first line of the Charter of the United Nations. But today, despite that promise to “save succeeding generations”, this generation is suffering from the scourge of war. And it is the civilian population — children, women and men — who bear the brunt of armed conflict.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“First of all, on behalf of my Government and the people of Canada, I would like to express our deep sorrow over the events that took place yesterday in Texas. The United States, its delegation and you, Mr. President, are very much in our thoughts and prayers. (spoke in French) I thank the United States for hosting today’s open debate, and the presenters for sharing their views with us. The Secretary-General’s report on the protection of civilians (S/2022/381) presents some very disturbing trends. There are more conflicts today than since the end of the Second World War. Forced displacement, world hunger and humanitarian needs are at their highest levels in many years. And violence against civilians and civilian infrastructure is increasing — and becoming more deadly.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“(spoke in English) I had the opportunity to serve as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Myanmar and to Bangladesh. I came to the camp in Cox’s Bazar three or four weeks after the forcible deportation of nearly a million people, most of them women and girls. I had the opportunity to speak to a great many women who had been the victims of sexual violence. Sexual violence is not about sex; it is about power, violence and the abuse of patriarchal power. The stories that I heard have been repeated and, fortunately, victims have been able to tell them to a great many people who have gathered evidence, are gathering evidence and are presenting that evidence. Tragically, this experience is going to have to be repeated in country after country after country. We have to take every possible step to stop this terrible abuse.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“We must ensure that their rights are protected, that they are treated with dignity, that they are able to obtain access to justice, and that they can safely, fully and meaningfully participate in decision-making at all levels. (spoke in French) Allow me to also say a few brief words on Canada’s behalf. We are convinced that we must continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Where the Court lacks jurisdiction, we will continue to explore alternative ways of ensuring accountability for these crimes. The experiences of all survivors, including the LGBTI community, remind us of the need to do one, simple thing — listen. Our work is to support them in rebuilding their lives, restoring their dignity and to find justice.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“Member States must invest in tackling the root causes of conflict-related sexual violence. Prevention starts, we believe, with a commitment, first and foremost, to gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls in diverse situations and conditions, the protection and promotion of human rights, and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making. We encourage the Council to ensure that country mandates emphasize the prevention of conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen early warning systems through the deployment of women’s protection advisors. Finally, it is critical that survivors remain at the heart of all our efforts. We must recognize that survivors have different needs and may face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“We must redouble our efforts to dismantle all structural and institutional barriers that hinder survivors from safely reporting sexual violence and from accessing essential services, including sexual and reproductive health-care services, victim advocacy, mental health and psychosocial support, and legal services. We also reiterate the importance of ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, as has been agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action. We call on all parties to ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society, including women peacebuilders and women human rights defenders, to carry out their important work, free of intimidation, violence or reprisals.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“We strongly support the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate, independent investigation of the conduct of all those involved in the conflict. We call on all parties in all conflict situations to immediately cease all forms of sexual violence, consistent with international law and resolutions of the Security Council. Those responsible for such heinous acts must be held to account by national justice or, where that is not possible, international justice. Regrettably, for many victims and survivors, access to justice, remedies and reparation is non-existent or painfully slow. United Nations Member States must fight impunity by strengthening the rule of law. Our group strongly encourages the Security Council to incorporate and apply sexual violence as a designation criterion in United Nations sanction regimes.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“I speak on behalf of 64 States members of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security. Our group is profoundly concerned by the persistent and widespread use of sexual violence with impunity by State and non-State actors in a great many conflicts around the world. The list of such conflicts is long and has been cited by several speakers and in the Secretary- General’s report (S/2022/272). I think it important that we bear them all in mind. I appreciate the comments made by my colleague from Malta with respect to the situation in Ukraine. We need to understand that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken of possible war crimes, breaches of international humanitarian law and serious violations of international human rights law.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016 (2022) · source
“We must do our utmost to ensure their full, equal and meaningful participation and to protect them at all times from sexual and gender-based violence.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“We also encourage the Council to strengthen its cooperation with other United Nations entities, as well as regional and subregional organizations, to better promote women’s economic inclusion in fragile, conflict and post-conflict settings. We recognize the role that the private sector can play in increasing women’s economic participation. We encourage increased cooperation among all partners and take note of a number of multi-stakeholder initiatives, including the Generation Equality Forum and its Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Assistance. We must remind ourselves today and every day of our responsibility to apply a human rights-based approach and to fully implement the women and peace and security agenda for women and girls around the world.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“That includes support to civil society and women-led organizations, as well as to Member States to improve women and girls’ safe and equitable access to quality education, training and capacity-building. We encourage the Security Council to recognize, as it addresses conflict and post-conflict situations, the importance of women’s economic inclusion not only for women themselves, but also for their families, their communities and their countries’ economic security and well-being. That is as an essential enabler of meaningful participation, sustainable peace and economic recovery in post-conflict settings.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“This is a serious human rights issue that impedes women’s participation in peace processes and public life. In conflict-affected countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen, there are significant gender gaps in employment, with women less likely to be in paid work and with limited access to social protection systems and public services. Women’s financial and digital inclusion is also systematically lower in those settings. That has been further exacerbated by the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic on women. We encourage Member States to increase their support for human rights-based initiatives that advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and security.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“We express our full solidarity with all women and girls in Ukraine and deplore the loss of life and human suffering caused by the situation arising from the aggression by the Russian Federation. We are deeply concerned about the distinct impact of violence on women and girls in Ukraine, many of whom have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries — 2 million and counting. The current situation places women and girls at increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence. We must integrate a gender perspective into the delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensure that their needs are fully taken into account and that all their rights safeguarded and respected. It is clear that women face persistent barriers to economic empowerment and security, particularly during times of crisis.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“I am pleased to speak on behalf of the 56 States members of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace, and Security. On this International Women’s Day, we would like to express our solidarity with all women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and advocates for gender equality who are tirelessly working to build peace, defend rights and implement the women and peace and security agenda. We hear them. We call on all Member States to protect and promote the rights of women and girls rights everywhere. We also call on all Member States and partners to ensure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace, political and security decision-making processes at all levels, in line with resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions.”
2022-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8989 (2022) · source
“It is incumbent upon all States Members of the United Nations to challenge the Security Council when its will is blocked by the veto and pressure it to achieve its mandate or find alter-native avenues of collective address within the Charter of the United Nations. To sum up, the first obligation for all Member States, the Secretary-General and the Secretariat is to prevent armed conflict and aggression from taking place. We also owe it to those who have been killed and maimed and displaced by unlawful attacks to take every practical measure to ensure that parties to armed conflict abide by the law. And yes, international humanitarian law is the law. Collectively we actually have the means to do so. The question is: do we have the will?”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We have to take into account the different roles of men, women, boys and girls and their communities and how that impacts their likelihood of being injured or killed or exposed to sexual and gender-based violence. It is critical for all parties to armed conflict to understand the specific protection needs and priorities of women and girls. Where a State or an armed group flouts the law, we have to go beyond ritual condemnation and take action. For the past 20 years, we have seen that happen less frequently because the Security Council is too often obstructed by the veto. Since 2011, it has been blocked 16 times from taking urgently needed action on Syria, including to address some of the most pressing humanitarian aspects of the civil war.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Today those principles form the undisputed basis of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of hostilities in all armed conflicts. (spoke in French) For States that are willing to conform, what should be done is clear: international humanitarian law treaties should be ratified, adopted as national law and integrated into military doctrine, training, operational decision-making and disciplinary procedures. (spoke in English) All of us have an obligation to understand the consequences of our actions. The urban environment is complex and the precautions that international humanitarian law requires include an understanding of the foreseeable effects of attacks — who will die, who will be displaced, whose homes will be destroyed and whose health will be affected for all time.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Our first obligation as Member States is to respect the Charter of the United Nations and avoid aggression. I would remind everyone of what it says in Article 2, paragraph 4: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” Thirty years after the Second World War and the signing of the Charter, the world negotiated the first Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions. The modern principle of distinction — that parties to armed conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants, between civilian objects and military objectives — was finally written into treaty form, along with the principles of proportionality and precautions in attack.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Mr. Rae (Canada) (spoke in French): I thank the Government of Norway for its efforts to put the protection of civilians at the centre of its presidency of the Security Council. (spoke in English) Given the global situation today, this is not a theoretical discussion. We all know that real lives are at stake. When we look at the remnants of large parts of historical cities and areas of conflict around the world, we see decimated landscapes that are reminiscent of the Second World War: destroyed buildings, unexploded ordinance and mountains of debris as far as the eye can see. Those cities were once thriving centres with markets, schools, places of worship, hospitals and small businesses. Those examples must not be repeated or added to.”
2022-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8953Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Aboriginal women, racialized women and other women who already face many other forms of discrimination are particularly targeted simply because they are women and because they exercise their human rights. We must act together now and put in place the safe conditions that the Council called for in resolution 2493 (2019). We cannot afford to remain passive in the face of issues of women’s safety. (spoke in English) Let me close by saying this: women are telling us very clearly around the world and in this Chamber and in the General Assembly Hall what they need for their support and what they need for their protection. We must keep asking questions. But, above all, we must now listen to what we are hearing, and we must act.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949 (2022) · source
“Finally, we encourage the United Nations, its States Members, international financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders to provide rapid, flexible and real funding for the protection of women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and gender-equality advocates, particularly those in need of emergency assistance, including psychosocial support. Collectively, we can and must do more to support all women on the front lines of peace and security efforts. (spoke in French) Very briefly, on behalf of Canada, I would like to add that the danger women face reflects the reality of violence against women around the world, including in Canada, for, in my country too, women who dedicate their lives to democracy, peace and justice are threatened and even attacked, both virtually and physically.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949 (2022) · source
“That support includes promoting the human rights of women and girls, building the capacity of national institutions to ensure the protection of peacebuilders, developing local early-warning mechanisms and supporting at-risk individuals. It is essential that we work directly with those who are targeted to understand the threats they face and work in partnership with them to identify ways to effectively strengthen their protection and put an end to those threats. We support the Security Council’s incorporation and application of sexual violence as a designation criterion in United Nations sanctions regimes. We also encourage the Council to ensure that peace operations provide, monitor and report on gender-responsive support to peacebuilders and human rights defenders at risk.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949 (2022) · source
“In line with resolution 2493 (2019), we urge all Member States to address those issues, both online and offline, as well as all forms of sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated against them. We also urge Member States to hold accountable all perpetrators of such acts. We are more than concerned about the fact that some women have faced reprisals for briefing the Council. The Security Council and the United Nations system must develop effective measures to prevent and respond to those reprisals. Secondly, we call on all Member States to create safe and enabling environments for women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and gender equality advocates. They must receive the support they need to carry out their work safely, independently and without undue interference.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949 (2022) · source
“I am very pleased to speak on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, which is an informal network of 65 Member States representing all five regional groups of the United Nations and the European Union. The Group thanks the delegation of Norway for convening today’s debate. I thank you very much, Madam President, for highlighting the important link between the protection of women peacebuilders and human rights defenders and their participation in advancing peace and security. We wish to emphasize three points. First, we condemn all threats, harassment, attacks and reprisals against women peacebuilders, human rights defenders and gender equality advocates.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949 (2022) · source
“the Small Arms Survey’s handbook Gender-responsive Small Arms Control: A practical guide was created as an easy-to-use resource for policymakers to increase their knowledge of gender and arms control and adopt gender-responsive approaches to policy development. We are pleased to support both the gender and disarmament programme of the United Nations and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and to develop and deliver gender-sensitive training activities to prevent and combat trafficking in firearms. In conclusion, the spread of small weapons is a significant cause of global insecurity, death and injury. We must maintain our focus on that issue and keep working together, both to protect life and to advance the rule of law.”
2021-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8909 (2021) · source