YouSaid · the spoken record

Richard Mills

lines on the record: 205
first: 2020-10-27
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 28
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The United States stands with the Syrian people, so we call on the Assad regime to adhere to a ceasefire, deliver on confidence-building measures and fully engage in the political process. And we call on the Security Council to reauthorize and expand United Nations cross-border humanitarian assistance. The United Nations cross- border mechanism in Syria is one of the most rigorous and accountable mechanisms that exists. The Council has the power: the power to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19. We can provide the Syrian people with their last, best hope of a healthy future. We must act together. We cannot turn away.”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“And the renewal and expansion of the cross-border mechanism is the only way that the Council can ensure that life-saving vaccines are provided to all Syrian citizens. We cannot know just how badly COVID-19 is ravaging Syria, but we do know that there is a tremendous shortage of COVID-19 testing kits for north-east Syria. And the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to struggle to get these kits across lines. Prior to the loss of the Ya‘rubiyah crossing, WHO would have been able to bring them in across the border. And if the United Nations loses access to the sole remaining border crossing, the COVID-19 crisis in Syria will go from dire to disastrous.”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“And let us also be clear that, as we have heard, one crossing point alone cannot meet the vast needs of the Syrian people. We need to reauthorize Bab al-Hawa for 12 months. And we need to reinstate the crossings at Bab al-Salam in the north-west, and Ya‘rubiyah in the north-east, for another year, as well. If we do not, people will die. It is that simple. In February, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2565 (2021) on the topic of combating and sustainably recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The resolution calls for full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical personnel to facilitate – among other vital safety measures – COVID-19 vaccinations. There is no reason for Syria to be an exception.”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“That resolution remains the agreed and established path for a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Turning to the heartbreaking humanitarian conditions that Under-Secretary- General Lowcock has just outlined in stark terms, it is clear that the vast needs have grown – by more than 20 per cent, we assess, over the last year. The United States, in response to this, supports all methods of delivering aid to Syrians throughout the country, including via cross-line deliveries. But the truth is that cross-line deliveries, even if executed properly and unhindered, do not have the capacity to fully address the needs of the Syrian people. There is simply no alternative that can match the scale and scope of the United Nations cross-border humanitarian mechanism.”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“They need food, humanitarian support, and – most of all – peace. The United States Government reiterates its full support to the Special Envoy to broker a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria. That solution begins with the adherence to a nationwide ceasefire. Once again, we call on the Assad regime and Russia to uphold the current ceasefire lines. In addition to holding a fraudulent election, the Assad regime continues to perpetrate atrocities and subject Syrian men, women and children to arbitrary detention, torture and mass murder. The United States will not normalize nor support any other benefits to the regime – not until the regime demonstrates willingness and progress in achieving the political reforms that are called for in resolution 2254 (2015).”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“I thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General Lowcock for their briefings. Today – in theory – should be a joyous day for Syrians. If the elections under way were free and fair, we would be celebrating democracy in action. But, sadly, they are not. Today’s elections in Syria are an insult to democracy and to the people of Syria. As the Security Council has unanimously declared in its resolution 2254 (2015), elections should occur pursuant to a new constitution and under United Nations supervision in a safe and neutral environment. None of that is happening today. And so yesterday, Secretary Blinken, along with the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement deploring these illegitimate elections. The people of Syria do not need sham elections.”
2021-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/506 (2021) · source
“The United States looks forward to continuing to work with the Security Council and all stakeholders in determining the concrete actions we can take to make peacekeeping safer and more effective.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“We are concerned about violations of those agreements in the Central African Republic and call on its Government to respect its commitments in the Central African Republic under the status-of-forces agreement, while ensuring that any forces or elements in the country at the invitation of the Government of the Central African Republic also respect the agreement. We are particularly concerned about reports of Russian instructors engaged in security sector reform there. They need to deconflict their activities with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, respect the status-of-forces agreement and ensure humanitarian access.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“The United States has assisted partner countries in reducing the barriers to women’s meaningful participation in peacekeeping — building female barracks, latrines and showers at training centres, for example — and we stand ready to partner with troop- and police-contributing countries in that effort. Finally, let me end by saying that we would like to underline, as part of this discussion, the importance of respect for status-of-forces agreements that host Governments sign with United Nations peacekeeping missions. Host Government cooperation with missions and Governments’ willingness to uphold those agreements are essential for keeping peacekeepers safe. Status-of-forces agreements guarantee peacekeepers’ ability to move and communicate freely, seek medical care when necessary and receive essential supplies.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“To assist with leadership training, which was another gap identified in the Dos Santos Cruz report, we developed a formed police unit command staff course, which the United Nations has since adopted as part of its standard predeployment certification. When peacekeepers sexually exploit or abuse the people they were sent to protect, it not only makes peacekeepers less effective but also puts them more at risk, as they lose the situational awareness that comes only from a strong relationship with local populations. Research has shown that the integration of women into peacekeeping units better enables those units to engage with local communities and may result in fewer incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“The United States has provided more than $28 million to deliver hospital equipment and build up hospital capacity with the aim of reducing the critical time from when a peacekeeper is wounded to when she or he can receive care. With our partners, we also provide counter-improvised explosive device training and equipment, including by providing armoured personnel carriers to contingents in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, which in our assessment is the most dangerous peacekeeping mission. That helps protect peacekeepers from threats, while also enabling them to deliver on their mandates.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“We have invested more than $70 million a year in those capacity-building partnerships. We focus on them because they have proven effective in making tangible progress on the ground in both improving peacekeeper performance and making peacekeepers safer. To continue our momentum, we, alongside our co-host Rwanda, will focus on ways to build partnerships to increase both performance and safety during our July preparatory meeting in advance of the Seoul Peacekeeping Ministerial. I will now take a moment to describe a few positive outcomes from our partnership efforts. With the support of the United States Global Peace Operations Initiative, United States partners have now developed more than 60 new critical enabling capabilities. That means new capabilities, such as level-2 hospitals.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“Given that urgent situation, we, as the Security Council, as many have said before me, must focus on concrete actions to improve peacekeeper safety, which is best achieved by ensuring that peacekeepers have achievable and realistic mandates, as well as the resources and skills they need to implement those mandates. The 2017 report prepared by Lieutenant General (Retired) Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, entitled Improving Security of United Nations Peacekeepers, made clear that the better the performance of peacekeepers — whether in terms of their operational proficiency, skills, conduct or discipline — the safer and more secure they will be. With that in mind, the United States is proud that we have now built more than 50 partnerships with troop- and police-contributing countries.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“I thank our briefers for their comprehensive updates this morning. The United States welcomes this opportunity to discuss this critically important issue as we look ahead to the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers later this week. We are deeply grateful — and here let me echo Mr. Jürgenson — for the military, police and civilian personnel who have served in United Nations peacekeeping operations. We honour the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace, those who have been injured and those who continue to risk their lives. According to the most recent data, the United Nations has already lost more peacekeepers this year to malicious acts than in all of last year. Since the pandemic started, we have lost 30 peacekeepers to the coronavirus disease.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“Finally, commitment to the well-being of the Sudanese people, we believe, extends to the turnover of team sites from United Nations hands to Government hands. These spaces were for years investments by the United Nations in the Sudanese people, aimed at protecting Sudanese and giving them a sense of stability. The failed turnover of multiple sites, which has included violence and ransacking, has severely diminished the appearance of commitment by local leaders to maintain these spaces as sites for good. We call on Sudanese authorities to responsibly transition these team sites to Government control and ensure that they do not fall into the wrong hands.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“We urge the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North Abdelaziz Al-Hilu faction to conclude their negotiations and arrive at an agreement that addresses the root causes of their conflict and makes way for the full participation of the Movement in Sudan’s transitional process. We are disappointed that, despite the Special Representative’s recent engagement, the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid Al-Nur faction continues to refuse to join mediation efforts, or to engage constructively in peace negotiations. Such intransigence defies the calls of the millions of brave Sudanese who demanded peace during the revolution. It also undermines the transitional Government’s efforts to achieve a negotiated comprehensive peace agreement in accordance with the transitional Constitution.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“We also continue to encourage the implementation of the Sudanese national action plan on women and peace and security, in line with resolution 1325 (2000). Despite these concerns, let me be clear that the United States commends the progress on mediation efforts that have occurred under the auspices of the South Sudanese Government aimed at building upon the Juba Peace Agreement and bridging divides between the Government of the Sudan and armed opposition groups. We also appreciate Special Representative Perthes’ engagement with the South Sudanese Government and the armed groups that have not yet signed the Juba Peace Agreement.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“We have seen recurrences of violence in Darfur, particularly intercommunal violence, which has caused thousands of new displacements — the most Darfur has witnessed since 2015. We cannot let continued violence destroy the Juba Peace Agreement’s prospects for effective peace in Darfur. The fulfilment of the Agreement is needed for a successful transition to democracy and stability in the Sudan. We strongly encourage the civilian-led transitional Government to commit with conviction to ensuring that all Sudanese feel safe and secure in their communities and their livelihoods. That can be achieved by expanding police presence and capacity, by supporting community reconciliation and conflict resolution and by implementing the Juba Peace Agreement’s sections on security arrangements, land reform, gender equality and justice, among others.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“Let me also extend my delegation’s thanks to the United Kingdom for its efforts to bring the Security Council closer to consensus on the next UNITAMS mandate. We strongly support the draft mandate. We believe prioritizing tasks is key in order for UNITAMS to have maximum impact and support the Government’s priorities. The United States firmly believes the Council can deliver a strong mandate for you, Special Representative Perthes, for the civilian-led transitional Government and, most important, for the Sudanese people. The Security Council last discussed the developments in Sudan two months ago (see S/2021/267). The United States remains concerned, as we were then, with the transitional Government’s efforts and its ability to carry out its most fundamental responsibility, namely, protecting its own people.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“I thank you, Special Representative Perthes, for your briefing and your efforts to deliver on the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS). The United States supports your work. We are committed to giving you the necessary tools from the Security Council to deliver on your mandated tasks. Before I turn to the UNITAMS mandate, let me join with others who have spoken before me to express the United States concern about the killing of two protesters on 11 May in Khartoum. The United States notes the commitment of the Sudanese Government to hold accountable those who were responsible for a previous attack on protesters in June 2019. As others have said, these incidents demonstrate the need for further reform and for further restrictions on the use of lethal force.”
2021-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/495 (2021) · source
“We thank the Government of Iraq and UNITAD for their hard work and continued cooperation to hold ISIS accountable for its atrocities.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“Similarly, we also commend the Kurdistan Regional Government for announcing its intention to establish a special criminal court in Erbil for ISIS crimes. This announcement represents an important step in holding perpetrators of crimes against Yazidis accountable. We will monitor this court’s implementation very closely. Finally, on the difficult question of foreign terrorist fighters, we urge Member States to repatriate them, prosecute them as appropriate and rehabilitate and reintegrate their associated family members. And we thank UNITAD for the valuable support it has provided to Member States, including the United States, to conduct such investigations and prosecutions. Accountability is one of the most important pillars holding up our rules- based order.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“To push this effort to the next step, we urge Iraq to adopt legislation currently being considered by the Council of Representatives that would provide a basis for the Iraqi Government to prosecute atrocity crimes, including those committed by ISIS. This law will be essential to finalizing an arrangement for UNITAD to share evidence with competent Iraqi authorities in accordance with the terms of reference. And it will be in line with the excellent law passed recently by the Iraqi Government — the Female Yazidi Survivors Law — that recognizes the ISIS genocide against Yazidis and other Iraqi communities and seeks to address the needs of the survivors of these unspeakable atrocities. We look forward to supporting the Iraqi Government’s implementation of this law.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“The international community cannot abide the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them cannot be allowed to do so with impunity. With all of these investigative goals, success depends entirely on the partnership between UNITAD and Iraqi national entities. We support UNITAD’s expanded cooperation with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, including Iraqi law enforcement and judicial entities, survivor groups, non-governmental organizations and religious authorities. This increased cooperation will lead to more successful prosecutions of ISIS members in Iraq and abroad. And these partnerships will help ensure positive outcomes for the Iraqi people and the victims of these terrible crimes.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“Specifically, UNITAD must continue to investigate the horrors perpetrated against members of the Yazidi community in the Sinjar region and the events of June 2014 at the Tikrit Air Academy, where unarmed cadets and military personnel were killed en masse. These investigations, as well as progress on similar cases involving other ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, will deliver justice to the Iraqi people. These investigations are critical for evidence-based trials. But we can never forget the human toll they take. Exhumations are a deeply painful process. We commend UNITAD and its partners for providing psychosocial support to staff, survivors and family members. Finally, UNITAD must especially make progress on the investigation into the alleged development and use of chemical and biological weapons by ISIS.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“Khan, towards returning the remains of 103 Yazidis recovered from nine mass grave sites in the village of Kojo. For their families, that return must have meant the world. Your work with the Yazidi community, including making sure that commemorations were dignified and accommodated Yazidi beliefs and practices, has helped these communities heal and puts them closer to national reconciliation with other Iraqi communities. And your legacy will be UNITAD’s continued efforts as it works to accomplish these sensitive tasks. That work must continue. And it must continue alongside investigative work to hold the Islamic State in Iraq and the Shams (ISIS) accountable for its brutality.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“Let me start by thanking Ms. Murad for her compelling and powerful testimony and for her insights into what steps need to be taken by the Security Council. Special Adviser Khan, thank you for your extensive briefing on this difficult topic as well. As the Special Representative takes on the position as the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, I would like to commend him and his team for setting up the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD) and for doing so much excellent work since. The “stock-taking section” of the Special Adviser’s report (see S/2021/419) is both an impressive list of accomplishments and a clear set of signposts for our path forward. In particular, I would like to especially applaud your efforts, Mr.”
2021-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/460 (2021) · source
“As it upholds the international norms against the use of chemical weapons, the United States welcomes the historic decision of the Conference of the States Parties to condemn Syria’s use of chemical weapons and suspend its rights and its privileges under the CWC until such a time as it completes the measures set forth in the OPCW‘s decisions. The adoption of this latest decision — supported by an overwhelming majority of those States that participated — sends a clear and collective message that the use of chemical weapons has consequences and repeated failures by Syria to adhere to its obligations will not be tolerated. It is time for the Al-Assad regime to adhere to its obligations under the CWC and resolution 2118 (2013).”
2021-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/446 (2021) · source
“Most Member States reaffirmed their widespread condemnation of Syria’s chemical weapons use and called for accountability. Days later, on 21 April, many of these same States reaffirmed their commitment to the CWC by voting to adopt a decision of the OPCW’s Conference of the States Parties that condemned the Al-Assad regime for its possession and use of chemical weapons, and which held the regime accountable by suspending Syria’s voting privileges at the OPCW until it completes certain measures, including declaring any chemical weapons and related production facilities it currently possesses, and resolving all outstanding issues regarding the initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile and programme.”
2021-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/446 (2021) · source
“The IIT’s second report is but the latest reminder of Al-Assad’s flagrant repudiation of the rule of law. Predictably — just four days after the release of the second IIT report — Russia held an informal meeting of the Security Council, on 16 April, designed to impugn the OPCW and push a false narrative that the OPCW’s efforts to investigate and attribute the use of chemical weapons in Syria are part of a Western plot to attempt regime change in Damascus. The Security Council and the States Members of the United Nations are not fooled by this Russian disinformation tactic. As we heard on that day, the majority of Security Council members and other Member States refuted the arguments of Russia and its hand-selected presenters.”
2021-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/446 (2021) · source
“The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism — together with this latest report — have now attributed eight chemical weapons attacks to the regime. The United States concurs with the OPCW’s conclusions cited in this second report. We continue to assess that the Al-Assad regime retains sufficient chemicals to use sarin, to produce and deploy chlorine munitions and to develop new chemical weapons. Despite the OPCW’s efforts to engage and assist Syria in adhering with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and resolution 2118 (2013), the Al-Assad regime continues to ignore calls from the international community to fully disclose and verifiably destroy its chemical weapons programme.”
2021-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/446 (2021) · source
“Thank you, High Representative Nakamitsu, for your briefing today. As we just heard from the High Representative, on 12 April the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Investigation and Identification Team (ITT) released its second report, attributing yet another chemical weapons attack in Syria to the Al-Assad regime. This time it was a chlorine attack in Saraqib on 4 February 2018. This latest horrific finding should come as no surprise to those familiar with the abuses committed by the Al-Assad regime against the Syrian people. The United States assesses that the regime’s innumerable atrocities — some of which rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity — include at least 50 chemical weapons attacks since the conflict began.”
2021-05-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/446 (2021) · source
“Now is the time to take advantage of the situation to develop longer-term solutions for the area, which can be sustained after the departure of United Nations peacekeepers. The United States stands ready to support South Sudan, the Sudan and the region as it pursues a lasting security architecture.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“We call for the international community to support the additional and equitable provision of humanitarian assistance so as to ensure that crisis-affected people and vulnerable populations in both communities in Abyei can access life-saving humanitarian aid. We ask the Sudan and South Sudan to improve humanitarian access in order to allow humanitarian agencies to respond to emergencies. Threats to humanitarian staff providing life-saving assistance to civilians in the Abyei area are unacceptable. Finally, we look forward to the leadership and engagement of the African Union in helping to facilitate developing mutually agreeable security arrangements for Abyei and the final resolution of its status. In recent years, the relative calm in Abyei is the result of dedicated work by UNISFA and warming relations between the Sudan and South Sudan.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“Denying access to the Anthony airfield is endangering peacekeepers, given that it restricts UNISFA’s ability to provide medical or casualty evacuation in a timely manner. This issue must be addressed immediately. We commend UNISFA’s efforts aimed at continuing to promote women’s meaningful participation in community decision-making and at protecting women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2021/383) indicates that more women are participating in peace dialogues and that male traditional leaders in the Misseriya community have committed to promoting women’s participation in decision-making. This is welcome progress, and we look forward to hearing about further developments in this regard in the next report.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“In that regard, the United States strongly encourages the Sudan and South Sudan to move forward in setting up the agreed joint institutions, particularly the joint police service. We urge South Sudan to name its 35 members of the joint police service in conjunction with the Sudan’s increasing the number of visas for United Nations police. The joint police service would provide protection for areas of joint activity and interest. We once again reiterate our call for the Sudan to issue visas for United Nations personnel mandated by the Security Council and for a civilian deputy head of mission. The United States also remains concerned about obstacles that hinder UNISFA’s work to protect civilians and fully implement its mandate. The safety and security of peacekeepers is a priority for the United States.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“The United States welcomes continued cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Sudan and the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to manage bilateral disputes by supporting peace, security and stability, and we encourage both countries to build on the commitments of the Juba Peace Agreement, prioritize safety and security of civilians living in Abyei, ensure stability in the region and determine the final status of Abyei. We also encourage all parties to find a mutually acceptable resolution of Abyei’s final status and the development of security arrangements to allow for a responsible exit of UNISFA. Until the two countries mutually agree on another arrangement, or Abyei’s final status is resolved, the Sudan and South Sudan should abide by the 2011 agreement on Abyei, which led to the creation of UNISFA.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“We are disappointed that tensions in the region prevented the holding of joint consultations among the Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia to discuss the future of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), as requested by the Security Council in accordance with the mission’s current mandate. Nevertheless, we commend the Special Envoy’s efforts aimed at conducting individual consultations with each country.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“I want to thank the Under-Secretary-General and the Special Envoy for their briefings today. We appreciate their leadership and dedicated support for Abyei and for the resolution of outstanding border issues between the Sudan and South Sudan. The United States wants to reiterate its commitment to supporting stability in Abyei, along the border between the Sudan and South Sudan, and in the broader region. The overall recent deterioration of the security situation within and between countries in the region is of deep concern to the United States. Several overlapping crises could further endanger the security of the people in Abyei, and we urge all parties to reinforce their efforts to find ways to reduce tensions and to refrain from any unilateral declarations or actions that could destabilize Abyei and endanger civilians.”
2021-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/408 (2021) · source
“We call on our fellow Security Council members to sunset UNMIK and determine a more relevant role for the United Nations in helping Kosovo realize its full potential. Let me end by congratulating Kosovo and Israel on establishing diplomatic relations. The United States looks forward to a deepening relationship between the two countries, through economic development and other forms of partnership, which will help further peace and stability in the Balkans and the Middle East.”
2021-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/370 (2021) · source
“Similarly, the commitments made by Kosovo and Serbian leaders at the White House in September 2020 have strengthened the foundation for economic cooperation, development and normalization. We believe that there is much to build on and little time to lose. The United States therefore urges both parties to implement past agreements and to approach the resumption of dialogue talks pragmatically and productively, with the goal of concluding a comprehensive normalization agreement. Finally, let me take a moment to say that the United States wants to reiterate its position that the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has long since fulfilled its original purpose and should move towards closure.”
2021-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/370 (2021) · source
“The United States looks forward to working closely with President Osmani, Prime Minister Kurti and the Government of Kosovo on our many shared priorities, including enacting reforms to increase Government transparency and accountability, fighting corruption, fostering economic development and normalizing relations with Serbia. The United States fully supports the European Union (EU)-facilitated dialogue. With Kosovo’s Government now formed, we welcome the EU Special Representative’s plans to reconvene the parties in the near future. Progress has been made by the parties, although that might not be evident from our briefings this morning. Nevertheless, that progress has in turn contributed to improvements in the lives of citizens in both Kosovo and Serbia.”
2021-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/370 (2021) · source
“We commend Kosovo’s continued advances in promoting women’s rights, including the Kosovo Assembly’s adoption of a constitutional amendment that would give direct effect in national law to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. This is a milestone that underscores Kosovo’s commitment to advancing the United Nations women and peace and security agenda and providing for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of decision-making.”
2021-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/370 (2021) · source
“I thank Special Representative Tanin for his briefing. The United States appreciates the Special Representative’s leadership and his dedicated support for the Republic of Kosovo, especially during the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease pandemic. We have had a long morning. I will attempt to be brief. The United States wants to begin by applauding Kosovo for conducting free, fair and transparent elections in February that ushered in a new Government, which, as the Foreign Minister mentioned, reflects the will of Kosovo’s population for reforms to strengthen peace, justice and prosperity in country.”
2021-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/370 (2021) · source
“The comprehensive review and the 1540 mandate renewal can have a defining role in our efforts to address the threat. We ask the members of the Council to be united in ensuring that we are successful. The stakes could not be higher.”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source
“One simple step would be to appoint national 1540 points of contact. National points of contact are an important resource for enhancing States’ interactions with the Committee and for promoting effective coordination within Member States as they seek to implement the resolution. We encourage all Member States to identify their 1540 points of contact for the Committee to aid in these efforts. We look forward to working with the Chair, the members of the Council and all United Nations States Member to ensure a successful comprehensive review. This is one of the few established, authoritative international measures in place to address the threat of weapons of mass destruction being acquired and used by terrorists or non-State actors.”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source
“The Committee, in turn, will then be better able to identify appropriate assistance providers. The Committee must also adapt to evolving proliferation threats. That includes making all States aware of emerging technologies, like synthetic biology or unmanned aerial vehicles, that could be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction. We also must fully empower the Group of Experts to independently promote the Committee’s work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors. This includes the panel’s engagement with Member States, regional and subregional organizations, 1540 regional coordinators and civil society. In the meantime, Member States can take forward steps even before the comprehensive review to help promote the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source
“While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the scheduled comprehensive review from taking place in 2020, we, like others, look forward to a technical extension of the mandate of the 1540 Committee for a period of one year, through April 2022. A technical extension should leave sufficient time for the Security Council to benefit from the robust discussions of the comprehensive review before undertaking a substantive update to the Committee’s mandate. On the comprehensive review’s content, we need to further focus and streamline the 1540 Committee’s engagement with Member States. States must have access to the Committee’s information and its resources. And they must have the opportunity to collaborate with the Committee to best formulate their national assistance requests.”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source
“Those include the International Atomic Energy Agency, INTERPOL, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism. Similarly, the Committee’s regional collaboration with the Organization of American States, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Caribbean Community has also helped promote the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). We appreciate their efforts with the regional offices of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs over the past year. These are important instances of the cooperation and outreach undertaken by the Committee and its Group of Experts. Their work protects us from the worst consequences — non-State actors acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction. Their actions save lives.”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source
“Let me start by thanking Ambassador de la Fuente Ramírez, as others have done, for his briefing and for Mexico’s leadership of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004). The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including to terrorists and other non-State actors, remains among the most serious threats facing the international community. Our collective efforts to address this threat are as important now as they have ever been. The 1540 Committee continued to undertake important work this past year, despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The United States very much appreciates the engagement of the Committee’s Group of Experts with other international organizations.”
2021-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/325 (2021) · source