YouSaid · the spoken record

Ramacharan

lines on the record
27
first
2003-07-07
most recent
2003-07-07
sittings or episodes
1
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un-security-council

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  1. “They must know from this Council that the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the future will be built on the foundations of human rights. For this is the essence of the United Nations, and this is the essence of the Security Council. In the final analysis, human rights are the measure, and international security must be achieved through human security. (spoke in Spanish) In conclusion, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, and the Council members for having given me the opportunity to speak before you today. I have studied the role played by the Council in the protection of human rights, and this morning I would like to take the opportunity to present to you a copy of the book that I recently wrote on this topic. As you will understand, it is an honour for me to appear before you today and to speak on the subject of human rights.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  2. “This invites, particularly in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the principle of special and sustained interest that you have indeed been applying - special and sustained interest. I spent nearly four years in peacemaking and peacekeeping in the former Yugoslavia. We said the conflict there was one of the largest since the Second World War. We know that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has led to the loss of millions of lives. Therefore, the principle of special and sustained interest must be applicable in this situation. I have one final comment, ifI may. In the reports the Council considers today, there is incontrovertible evidence pointing to the criminal responsibility of particular individuals. They must know from this Council that they will be brought to justice.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  3. “At the beginning of these remarks, I noted that the Council's practice places increasing emphasis on the centrality of human rights in conflict prevention, in peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace-building and humanitarian and development work. The Council has also stood up for the principles of international accountability, international supervision, reconciliation and justice. I should like to end by placing particular emphasis on the principles of international accountability and international supervision. Any situation on which the Security Council has pronounced itself calls for application of the principles of international accountability and supervision. The Council must be satisfied that peace and justice have been served in the final analysis.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  4. “We in the Office of the High Commissioner also very much hope that the National Observatory for Human Rights and the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission - which we hope will soon be established - will serve, and interact in a constructive way with, the goal of encouraging the transitional Government to confront the culture of impunity. Perpetrators of gross human rights violations must be put on notice that they will be brought to justice. I have been in the human rights business for a lifetime, and I have been in the United Nations for 30 years. If there is one thing of which I am convinced, it is that the threat ofjustice to those who commit serious violations of human rights is one of the means that we have at our disposal and one of the means that we must be willing to use.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  5. “We in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the human rights violations that have taken place in various parts of the country, particularly those perpetrated in Ituri, should be investigated as quickly as possible. Our Office stands ready to pursue close cooperation with the International Criminal Court in any effort that might be pursued regarding events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With all humility, I propose that parallel to those efforts, the Security Council may wish to consider taking appropriate action on the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law perpetrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, taking into account the relevance of the International Criminal Court.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  6. “The third conclusion is that failure to take the necessary concrete action towards ending the reign of impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will encourage the perception of the international community's passivity and double standards regarding serious and grave human rights violations. That will further nurture the existing feeling among the civilian population that there is a denial of justice, which will contribute to the cycle of reprisals and the culture of impunity. On 16 May 2003, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, visited our office in Geneva to discuss possible areas of collaboration. We raised the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and discussed it with him.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  7. “The second conclusion is that insecurity and terror, as well as the lack of cooperation from the parties, have made it impossible to initiate thorough and comprehensive investigations aimed at shedding light on many cases of mass killings and other gross human rights violations that have occurred in various parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Generally, the warring parties are not committed to fulfilling their obligations under international law to investigate responsibility for serious violations of human rights and breaches of humanitarian law and to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities committed. Consequently, the interests ofjustice can be served only by providing both national and international mechanisms with opportunities to investigate those crimes in depth in order to determine their extent and motivation.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  8. “Allow me to reiterate those conclusions in furtherance of the conclusions contained in paragraphs 26 and 28 of the Security Council mission's report. The first conclusion is that all the parties, but particularly the rebel movements, rival factions and other armed groups and militias operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, continue to resort to human rights violations as a means of creating an atmosphere of terror and oppression and, thus, of keeping their control over the population and lucrative natural resources.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  9. “This is the third time in a year that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has been given the opportunity to brief the Security Council regarding some of the cases of atrocities and dreadful human rights violations perpetrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The frequency of these briefings is in itself a clear indication of the very serious and continuous nature of human rights violations occurring in the country, and reflects the Council's recognition of that. Our Office has had the opportunity to share with the Council information and reports regarding the human rights situation, whose patterns have been similar since the outbreak of the conflict in August 1998. Three conclusions stand out.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  10. “In line with the recommendations of the Council's mission, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and MONUC are engaged in consultations and discussions with relevant actors, aimed at assisting the national transitional institutions in putting an end to impunity, reconstructing the justice system and adopting the related transitional justice arrangements for rebuilding the rule of law. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and MONUC have reiterated their commitment to supporting the establishment and effective functioning of the relevant national institutions, particularly the National Observatory for Human Rights and the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission - the creation of which is envisaged by the All-inclusive Agreement - as well as the Ituri Pacification Commission.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  11. “The majority of the displaced persons are located in the area surrounding the Bunia airport and the premises occupied by the MONUC military observers. That population continues to face severe problems of health, food and access to school, which the humanitarian agencies are trying to address. As members of the Council know, the portions of the report of the Council's mission to Central Africa from 7 to 16 June 2003 (S/2003/653) that relate to the Democratic Republic of the Congo affirm substantially the findings that we highlighted in the Drodro and earlier reports.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  12. “The victims included 253 people who were assaulted in the commercial centre of the town, 22 victims at the residence of the head of the Party for the Unity and Safeguard of the Integrity of the Congo, and 37 victims that had their throats cut and were hacked with machetes at the town hospital. We also received reports on the attacks launched on 7 June 2003 by militias of Lendu origin in Tchomya, Kasenyi and the town of Bunia, which resulted in the killing of between 300 and 500 individuals. Furthermore, on 18 June 2003, several mass graves were discovered at the residence of the Governor of Bunia. In addition to summary executions, the confrontations and resulting violence have led to arbitrary arrests, abductions, rapes and the wanton destruction of lives and property. The number of displaced persons has risen to 74,000.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  13. “Following the completion of the investigative mission, our office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has, in collaboration with MONUC, continued to monitor closely the events that occurred more recently in Ituri. The information gathered to date points to continuing fighting between the Lendu and Hema militias, resulting in further serious human rights abuses, massive displacements of the civilian population and deterioration of the humanitarian situation. It was reported that in Tchomya, on 31 May and 1 June 2003, fighting broke out again between the Lendu and Hema militias, allegedly with the involvement of elements of the Congolese Armed Forces. At least 350 casualties, mainly civilians, were recorded as a result of the incident.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  14. “Allow me to interject here that we are not speaking of ordinary killings in the course of a conflict; we are talking about events that shock the human conscience. The opinion of many witnesses confirmed that the authors of the massacres were militias of Lendu origin. The world's conscience has been struck by the pervasive use of child combatants in committing these atrocities. The events at Drodro and in the 15 surrounding localities have had a terrible impact on the vulnerable populations in that part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is estimated that 55,000 people fled towards the south when the bloody confrontations between the Lendu and Hema militias broke out in early May 2003. The survivors of those massacres were forced by the lack of security to flee at night to major urban centres or into the forest.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  15. “According to information communicated to the investigating team, the majority of the victims were women and children, some of whom had been killed and mutilated with machetes, while others had been burned alive. Most of that information was confirmed by the forensic experts who participated in the investigative mission following their examination of some of the graves. In view of all the relevant information gathered- including the conclusions of the forensic experts - the team confirmed that massacres had taken place on 3 April 2003 between 5.45 and 8 am. The assailants carried out their attacks in the localities of Dhessa, Duma, Nyali, Dzatha, Kiza, Ngazba, Jissa, Kpatiz, Koli, Lera, Buki, Ndjala and Kpaluba using edged weapons - machetes, axes, spears and arrows - and firearms.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  16. “During those events, huts were burned down, dozens of cattle were stolen, and valuable items found in houses were taken by the assailants. In the main hospital in Drodro, which the investigative team visited, 48 bodies were identified, most of which were those of women and children. The team of investigators also visited mass graves in the localities of Largu, Nyali and Jissa. In Jissa alone, there were 20 mass graves, although the mission could visit only eight of them. According to witnesses' accounts, those graves contain some 140 bodies. It should be noted that the number of persons killed in that area is certainly higher, because the team was not able to visit eight other localities for which no safety guarantees could be provided.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  17. “As members know, the events which took place in Drodro and in its surrounding areas on 3 April 2003 are part of a continuing chain of inter-ethnic violence, confrontations between armed militias and rivalries among dissident armed groups and rebel factions. Eyewitness reports gathered by our investigative mission revealed that the gross and large-scale violations of human rights perpetrated during the events of 3 April 2003 included assaults on lives, torture, looting and the destruction of property. The most shocking violations of human rights reported by witnesses include some 408 cases of summary executions, more than 80 cases of persons seriously wounded or mutilated, and numerous accounts of stores and shops looted.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  18. “(spoke in English) On two previous occasions, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has briefed the Security Council on the grievous violations of human rights occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those briefings were focused mainly on the Ituri area. However, as the Council is aware, numerous cases of atrocities and of pervasive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have taken place in other parts of the country and deserve to be investigated. That has not been possible for a number of reasons, including the security situation prevailing in some of the areas and a lack of cooperation and of adequate financial resources for undertaking such an important task.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  19. “That violence and the tension to which it gives rise have been stirred up recently by several factors: the absence of a credible and effective administration in Ituri; the presence of foreign troops; the value of the enormous natural resources, which gives rise to greed; power struggles between local leaders seeking to position themselves on the national political scene; and disputes over land ownership and resources. The impact of such a conflict affects the enjoyment of the majority of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in subsequent international instruments relating to human rights. The human rights violations to which I shall refer today are massive and systematic, and they require particular attention.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  20. “Since the eruption of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in August 1998, and particularly since a split appeared within the Rassemblement Congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani/Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K/ML), which led to the creation of the Union des patriotes congolais (UPC) approximately a year ago, this district of Orientale province has been the scene of devastating violence and of deadly clashes among dissident factions, self-defence groups of an ethnic nature and tribal militias. The deadly violence that afflicts the populations of this region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo proceeds from an ideology of exclusion, from hatred and from the exacerbation of tribal and ethnic cleavages and antagonisms.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  21. “The report of that multidisciplinary team highlights the gravity and the systematic nature of the atrocities and human rights violations that the populations of this province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have constantly endured in recent months. It also contains several observations that I should like to bring to the Council's attention. Bordering Uganda, the Ituri district is today one of the most unstable provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  22. “The report before members is a response to the 8 April 2003 statement by the President of the Security Council strongly condemning the massacres committed at Drodro, in the Ituri district, and requesting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate those events and to report on them as soon as possible. This report is the result of an investigation on the ground carried out on 5 April 2003 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in close cooperation with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), supplemented with information gathered by a follow-up mission comprising officials of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, MONUC staff and two legal experts, who visited Drodro and surrounding areas from 18 April to 5 May 2003.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  23. “This Council has registered that the security of nations depends on the security of people. Human security is defined by the international human rights norms, which give it content. The issue before us today is how to bring human security, through human rights, to the long-suffering people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (spoke in French) I thank the Council for having invited me to join my colleague, Jean-Marie Guehenno, in order to introduce the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concerning the events that occurred on 3 April 2003 in the locality of Drodro, in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The presentation of the report also offers us the opportunity to take a quick look at the persistent violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law in that region.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  24. “It can only be so, for the principle of the protection of human rights is grounded in the principle of humanity. The United Nations works with countries worldwide on practical projects of development, governance, democracy-building and the rule of law. Countries and people trust the United Nations worldwide. They see it as their Organization. This extraordinary legitimacy is shared by no other institution or entity, and human rights are integrated into all of its roles. Increasingly, the emphasis is on strengthening national human rights protection systems and institutions. The United Nations, and the Security Council, seek to direct the spotlight to the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the protection of women and children and new security challenges such as HIV/AIDS. The concept and content of security is thus evolving.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  25. “As the Council has advised on more than one occasion, peacemaking and human rights must go hand in hand, the primordial nature of the right to life is recognized. The nexus between peace and justice is the right to life. Another role that defines the United Nations is peacekeeping and peace observation. The Security Council has registered that United Nations peacekeeping operations must contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights. The Council has also given central place to human rights in United Nations peace-building missions. The humanitarian work of the United Nations singles it out as a conscience-bearer for suffering humanity. More and more, United Nations humanitarian and human rights endeavours are integrated.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  26. “In a recent work on the Security Council and the protection of human rights, I sought to show that the Council places increasing emphasis on the promotion and protection of human rights for the prevention of conflicts. I will have the opportunity to present the President with a copy of this book this morning. In different parts of the world, United Nations peacemakers are endeavouring to help find solutions to disputes and conflicts. No one else cares as much as the United Nations, which seeks to be of assistance, whatever the colour or stripe of the nation. The peacemaking flag of the United Nations, more and more, has on it the eternal flame of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source

  27. “Mr. Ramacharan: The defence of human rights is one of the activities that define the contemporary and future United Nations. No other body can replace the United Nations for universality, legitimacy, trust and its international code of human rights. The United Nations mirrors the world while beckoning it to the values of the Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every country has ground to cover when it comes to respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The human rights mission of the United Nations is central to its raison d'etre and is becoming more and more crucial to its other leading roles, as well as to the work of this Council. The United Nations, through the Security Council, seeks to prevent conflicts worldwide. This is an irreplaceable role.”

    2003-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4784 (2003) · source