YouSaid · the spoken record

Robinson

lines on the record: 242
first: 1999-09-16
most recent: 2022-11-03
sittings or episodes: 12
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

“Mrs. Robinson: Again, I note the very specific approach of each of the representatives. I would just like to respond very briefly. In the case of the representative of the Russian Federation, he placed a lot of emphasis on better coordination in the United Nations system and on a better division of labour in order to secure more effective prevention. Again, I think this seems to be an initiative that the Security Council is really taking, including in the discussions it will be having with the Bureau of the Economic and Social Council. But I would like to link it with the very strong case made by the representative of Mali about the importance of linking, in a resourcing and supportive way, with what regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are doing.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I am very encouraged by this and it confirms that making a closer link with Geneva and the human rights machinery makes every sense in this context.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“As I understand it, there is a proposal for a possible office in West Africa, which I feel would need to have a strong human rights component because of the subregional human rights issues that need to be addressed. Reference was also made to the Sierra Leone Special Court. This Special Court sends enormously important signals in that subregion. I believe it is vital that the Security Council find the means for effective financial resourcing and support for that Court because of its important signal of really tackling impunity and what can be built on in relation to it. I have to say in conclusion that it is very instructive from my point of view to see how practical the contributions have been from the members of the Security Council.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“If we are going to link all of the elements and resources, this requires a comprehensive role and the human rights community does have a lot to offer in that regard. He also referred to the impact of sanctions. There again, there is some study by some of the human rights committees of the impact of sanctions. If the Security Council is discussing this issue, I think it should look into the information on sanctions, which we would be happy to provide. The representative of the United States referred in particular to the situations in Sierra Leone, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, indeed, in West Africa. Again, I think we have missions that have just taken place, including the particular mission to West Africa, which I believe are an important resource for the Security Council and for the human rights community.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“When I was there last October, I was really impressed by the work that can take place in situations of quite serious conflict, especially the linkages and support for human rights non-governmental organizations and their very close working relationship with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I hope that, in the opportunities that are now opening up, we can reinforce the work of our Office and that it can be more known to and drawn upon by the Security Council in its assessment of the situation and in the role of enhanced peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The representative of China again emphasized the role of prevention. I must say that I am very glad to see this so high among the priorities.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I would urge that there be wider use made of the experts, the special rapporteurs and special representatives. She also referred to the issue of hate speech and to the need to monitor the media. Again, I look to the World Conference and its practical measures as being a way to have a whole range of issues that can be addressed to combat this new form of communicating racism and stirring up ethnic conflict. The representative of France focused in particular on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This gives me an opportunity to really emphasize the resource of the work of our Office on the ground, both in Kinshasa and in Goma.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“Again, in gathering in or looking at that audit, I think it would be appropriate to look to the work being done on the ground, especially in relation to links with armed groups and attempts to have them adhere to international human rights and humanitarian standards. Also, obviously, he made reference to the proposed manual of best practices of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. We would hope to make a significant contribution to that. The representative of Jamaica referred to the "Arria formula" meetings. I was very pleased that she did, because we in the human rights community have greatly welcomed the fact that the Security Council has been hearing, in particular, Mr. Garreton, the Special Rapporteur for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The representative of Tunisia referred to the importance of media and of having a code of ethics or a way of controlling and curtailing hate speech. We will be looking at this, as I said, in preparation for the Durban World Conference against Racism. He also referred to the question of a working group, if that emerges from this discussion. I would simply say that, if there is a working group or a task force, we in our Office would certainly wish to offer any support of a practical nature to that working group and to interact with it. I was interested in the innovative idea of the representative of Singapore concerning the possibility, at the end of a given year, of some kind of objective audit on the number of conflicts on which it had been possible to have some impact.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“He and a number of other contributors referred to the separation of refugees and armed elements in camps. Obviously, this is a key recommendation, but it also brought to my mind the role and discussion that we are having now in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on protection of internally displaced persons. This is being held with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, with Special Coordinator Dennis McNamara and with the different agencies, because we recognize so many gaps in the protection of internally displaced persons and that we must work with the Governments in the context of internally displaced persons. Perhaps the Security Council should be more aware of this intensive debate that has been taking place, at very regular intervals now, in the context of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“We are very keen now, in the context of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and perhaps during the seminar on human rights that has been proposed for the month of May, to have a human rights text that all parties could subscribe to as a basis for moving forward. We have also been encouraging this in the context of Colombia 4 that the different state and non- state actors would subscribe to a text of international human rights and humanitarian law. We would certainly be happy to share those experiences. In relation to the contribution of the representative of Ukraine, I would also, as he does, welcome the forthcoming discussion with the Economic and Social Council Bureau and wider linkage within the system, which is another innovation of the Security Council that I very much welcome.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I would suggest that, if there is to be mediation, it should draw on the work of country or thematic rapporteurs, the present work of our Office or components of peacekeeping, and have this material in relation to any attempts at mediation. Reference was made by a number of representatives to the debate with non-State actors. Again, our offices on the ground are involved in a debate with non-State actors, and we would be very happy to share some of this experience, if it could be helpful. One of the areas that we are seeking actively to make progress in is to use the approach of trying to get non-State actors to subscribe to basic international human rights and humanitarian law. We succeeded in some part with a manifesto on human rights in Sierra Leone, and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) also subscribed to this.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“Mrs. Robinson: I must say that it has been a rich debate and very instructive to listen to the very specific proposals put forward. I would welcome the opportunity to respond briefly to some of these suggestions. A number of them were repeated by members of the Security Council. I should like to begin with the points made by the representative of Bangladesh, who began by referring to the importance of prevention, and I think that is a theme that others took up. It was also the subject of a report that I made last year to the Commission on Human Rights, setting out, from a human rights perspective, the different ways in which we can add to a debate on prevention. I would recommend that as a source, perhaps, to look at. The representative also talked about possible mediation by high-level personalities.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“My Office is committed to supporting efforts by corporations to analyse the potential impacts of their presence in zones of conflict and to ensure that systems are in place to avoid unintended consequences of their operations that may result in human rights abuses. In making this presentation I have heeded the advice given to me to provide to the Council practical insights from our normative and information sources that might be helpful to the Council in its quest for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. From the examples I have placed before the Council it will be seen that the efforts of the Council for the protection of civilians in armed conflict are supported by the endeavours of different parts of the United Nations system.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The Special Representative of the Secretary- General on human rights defenders presented her first report to the Commission on Human Rights last week, and outlined her proposed plan of work. I see great merit in proposals for a focal point for civilians in peacekeeping missions and for increased emphasis on protection in peacekeeping mandates. The need for adequate regional responses to conflict situations is something I wholeheartedly endorse. I have appointed advisers in each of the regions to promote a strong regional approach to the protection of human rights. My Office is acutely aware of the fact that, as the report puts it, "corporate royalties have continued to fuel wars" (S/2001/33l, para. 61). The United Nations has a key role to play in promoting responsible behaviour by business in crisis areas.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, which will take place from 31 August to 7 September 2001, in Durban, South Africa, will provide the international community with an invaluable opportunity to set up a strategy to combat the ugliness of racism in all its forms. Part of protection entails adopting a strategy to ensure that racism is tackled before it forms an organizing principle in armed conflict. The emphasis placed in the report on the role of human rights defenders is welcome. Human rights defenders often represent a first point of contact for civilians in armed conflict. Their voices enable us to understand the plight of those we are seeking to protect.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I would like to finish by commenting on several other areas of particular focus in the Secretary- General's report. The Secretary-General appropriately emphasizes combating hate speech as a measure to enhance protection. The media can play a formidable role in promoting diversity and respect for others. It is unfortunate that the same technology is sometimes used to stir up hatred and violence. But let us consider why this is the case. The protection of civilians indeed requires us to address the root causes of conflict, which are frequently not only old and deep, but often include ethnic and racial elements. Societies in conflict often devote their energy to dehumanizing and excluding those that are perceived to be different.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“We recognize the significance for our work of the human rights component of these mandates. These operations should receive the political, financial and administrative support they need and deserve. Finally, I would like to turn to the issue of human rights in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building. I would point out that, as part of the reforms instituted by the Secretary- General, human rights are becoming more and more integrated into efforts for conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building. This developing experience will undoubtedly be of interest to the Council, and it would be important that it be briefed periodically on significant developments. My Office will be more than happy to do this.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“To give a specific example of the work these field offices do, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our office works with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, gathers information about allegations of violations of human rights, reports these to me and through me to our colleagues in other parts of the United Nations, and generally offers its advice and support to the Government for the pursuit of national plans and the establishment or strengthening of national institutions for the promotion and the protection of human rights. In addition to the field offices that we ourselves have established, we have also helped establish and steer human rights components in a growing number of United Nations peace operations.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“Field offices such as these are blazing a new path in the protection of civilians in armed conflict and in the defence of human rights and humanitarian law generally. We have given special attention to the gender perspective and to protecting women against trafficking and have been attentive to the HIV/AIDS problem in such situations.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I consider the reports of country rapporteurs and thematic rapporteurs to be an indispensable information base for the efforts of this Council and of other United Nations bodies to strengthen conflict prevention in the United Nations. I believe that it is of the utmost importance that this Council be provided regularly with briefings on the information available in the reports of these mechanisms of the Commission. I also draw the Council's attention to the role of the human rights treaty bodies and their increasing capacity to take urgent action. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has field offices in a number of situations of recent or ongoing conflicts, including in Burundi, Colombia and Cambodia.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Internally Displaced Persons are of direct relevance to this debate in the Council on the protection of civilians. One key challenge during conflict is gaining access to the vulnerable populations. We often think of this access in terms of the delivery of assistance for humanitarian needs. But to many victims of armed conflict, meaningful access also means breaking the cycle of secrecy and suffering; it means that the plight of victims is brought into light. The United Nations human rights mechanisms provide the means for doing just that - yet these mechanisms are often denied access to situations of conflict. This means that victims are often denied the right to be heard.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The efforts of the Commission are complementary to those of the Security Council and usually entail recourse to one or more of the following methods: the gathering of information, the dispatch of fact-finding missions, public debates, the adoption of resolutions expressing concern and offering recommendations, extension of good offices and offers of technical cooperation and assistance. My Office would be happy to brief members of the Council on what the Commission on Human Rights is doing in relation to such situations. As far as human rights mechanisms are concerned, I welcome the fact that the Security Council is increasingly looking to and drawing on the expertise of the special mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights. At the present time, the Commission has 14 country rapporteurs and 21 thematic rapporteurs.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I informed the Commission of the system of terror perpetrated by the LRA and offered a number of recommendations based on the work of the mission. The report of the mission is being drafted and will be published as a document of the Commission on Human Rights. I am confident that members of the Council will be interested in this source of information and assessment. As concerns the Commission on Human Rights' consideration of gross violations of human rights during armed conflicts, in recent years, the Commission has considered and adopted resolutions intended to help stop and prevent gross violations of human rights during conflict situations.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“Allow me in this regard to cite a case on which I reported to the Commission on Human Rights only last week. At the request of the Commission on Human Rights, my Office, in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, undertook an assessment of the situation on the ground relating to the issue of the abduction of children in northern Uganda. In the preliminary report that I submitted to the Commission on Human Rights last Thursday, I reported that there were about 26,365 cases of abduction of civilians carried out by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda, a third of whom were children under the age of 18, and a fifth of whom were female.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has deployed a great deal of effort to help combat impunity in a number of situations, including in Sierra Leone and East Timor. The experience that we are developing in the human rights area, including advising on the establishment of international courts and on truth and reconciliation commissions, represents an important pool of practice for this Council. On the subject of human rights fact-finding during situations of armed conflict, establishing the facts can play a crucial part in the protection of civilians in armed conflict. In a number of recent instances, including in relation to Afghanistan, Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone, human rights fact-finding missions have taken place. Reports of such missions should be available to the Council.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“I wholeheartedly support the Secretary-General's recommendations on this topic. Ending impunity for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, whether committed by State agents or non-State actors, is obviously an important objective for the international community. The report calls on the General Assembly and the Security Council to provide support for tribunals and other arrangements designed to bring individual perpetrators to justice. On several occasions, particularly with regard to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Security Council has demonstrated that it will not tolerate impunity for acts that offend the conscience of humankind. Those who commit or contemplate committing gross human rights Violations, wherever they are, should be left in no doubt that they will be held accountable for their actions.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“As the Secretary-General indicates in the current report, these are matters of ongoing discussion among Member States. I believe that the following normative and factual sources would be relevant to the deliberations and approaches of the Council in the future. International human rights law insists on standards of protection that are applicable in all times, places and circumstances. There is a rich jurisprudence and practice in the human rights area that I believe should be an essential point of departure for the Council in judging the acceptability or unacceptability of behaviour of combatants, States and non-State actors during conflicts, internal or international. Tackling impunity at all stages of conflict is an essential component in ensuring that fundamental human rights standards are maintained.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“They expect us to assist them during the harsh days when they are most vulnerable and insecure. They expect us to help them in returning to their homes and families, in bringing to justice those who are responsible for international crimes, in knowing the fate of their loved ones and in rebuilding their societies so that they can have the chance to live in peace. In the recommendations in his earlier report, the Secretary-General invited the Council to consider factors such as the scope of the breaches of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the numbers of people affected and the nature of the violations. He also suggested that the Council consider the question of the limited and proportionate use of force, with attention to repercussions upon civilian populations and the environment.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“In the current report, he invites this Council to find the path-breaking steps to enable it to implement recommendations for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This is the second time that I have had the honour of appearing before this Council, and I should like to thank the members for giving me these opportunities to place before them normative considerations and sources of information in the human rights area that I believe are important for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Throughout the world, civilians caught in armed conflict look to the United Nations to protect their rights as well as their needs. They expect us not only to provide them with emergency food and shelter, but also to protect them from further attacks on their lives, dignity and basic humanity.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“Mrs. Robinson: In recent years, the Security Council has broken new ground in its efforts to implement the Charter's blueprint for the maintenance of international peace and security. It would be fair to say that the security concepts and the strategies and methods of the Council have taken on a distinctly more people-oriented focus grounded in the norms of international law and of human rights and humanitarian law. I applaud and encourage that development. The Secretary-General, in a series of reports, has led the quest for the plight of the victims of conflicts and of gross violations of human rights to feature more prominently in the deliberations of United Nations organs, including the Security Council. The international community owes a debt of gratitude to him for the leadership he has provided.”
2001-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4312 (2001) · source
“The major building blocks for peace-building and reconciliation are good governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights, a strong civil society and institutions which can guarantee an environment conducive to stability and peace. The Security Council has a vital role to play, both at the prevention stage and, should that fail, in the deployment of peacekeepers to minimize the impact of conflict on civilians. After reading the Secretary-General's report and hearing his presentation of it today, nobody could any longer complain that they did not realize how bad the situation facing civilians in today's armed conflicts was. It should be our collective goal to implement the recommendations of the report and so develop enforceable mechanisms for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“I wish to commend the Security Council for having established the two ad hoc Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. I warmly welcome the adoption of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, providing jurisdiction over three core crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We must move forward now and ensure that our collective support for the establishment of an effective International Criminal Court will, through the speedy ratification of its Statute, be a significant milestone in the struggle to strengthen respect for human rights and humanitarian and refugee law. The best protection for civilians in armed conflict is prevention. By addressing the root causes of conflict and seeking to defuse tensions, the atrocities and violations of fundamental rights committed during armed conflict can be prevented.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“We are increasingly being faced with the dilemma of having to stop atrocities being committed and seeking avenues for the peaceful settlement of conflicts on the one hand, While needing to hold accountable and punish the perpetrators of human rights violations, on the other. To grant amnesty to the authors of the most atrocious crimes for the sake of peace and reconciliation may be tempting, but it contradicts the purpose and principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as internationally observed principles and standards. For these reasons, the recommendations in the Secretary General's report on enforcing accountability for war crimes and on measures to deter and contain those guilty of egregious human rights violations are especially important.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“The first need today is not that we write new laws, but that we implement what already exists in the field, close to the victims and where it really matters. To this end I wish to express my support for those recommendations in the report which call on States to ratify all of the international instruments in the areas of human rights, humanitarian and refugee law, to withdraw reservations and, most importantly, to comply fully with their provisions. Could we not also take the concrete step of raising the minimum age for participation in hostilities to 18 years? A serious issue which must be addressed is accountability.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“As so clearly underscored by the Secretary-General in his report, there is an intrinsic link between systematic and widespread violations of the rights of civilians and the erosion of international peace and security. For example, in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia the Security Council has recognized that the repression of the civilian population has led to consequences that threatened peace and security in the region. Human security has become synonymous with international security. Human security can be guaranteed only through the full respect of all fundamental rights. This intrinsic link demands the attention and action of the Security Council in the field of human rights protection and the prevention of massive and gross violations.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“We must learn from the analysis of the plight of civilians in armed conflicts and seek ways to address the problem effectively. Conflicts almost always lead to massive human rights violations, but also erupt because human rights are violated due to oppression, inequality, discrimination and poverty. These conditions are exacerbated when the State is too weak or unable to address them efficiently. Human rights violations are thus both a consequence of and a contributing factor to instability and further conflict. And as a result of globalization and increasing interdependence between States, conflicts which are essentially internal often have spillover effects beyond national borders.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“Girls and women are routinely subjected to sexual abuse and gender-based violence. Children are recruited and kidnapped to become child soldiers, forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults. Both the Secretary-General's report and my own experiences bring home the reality: civilians are no longer just victims of war, today they are regarded as instruments of war. The starving, terrorizing, murdering and raping of civilians - all are seen as legitimate. Sex is no defence, nor is age. Indeed, it is women, children and the elderly who are often at greatest risk. That is a strange, terrible state of affairs in the year after we commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is not sufficient that we be appalled by the brutality of today's armed conflicts.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“In Colombia and Cambodia human rights defenders vividly described the climate of violence in which they were carrying on their activities at great personal risk. Reports from Angola tell how rebels provoked a mass movement of displaced persons desperate to reach the relatively safe haven of provincial capitals. It had been expected that the collapse of superpower rivalry would lead to a reduction in conflict, but the decline in inter-State fighting has been more than made up for in the growth of vicious internal conflicts, often unpredictable and volatile. These are conflicts that drag on for years without settlement or that flare up afresh when peace seemed to be at hand. The village has become the battlefield and the civilian population the primary target.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“What happened in East Timor is a graphic example of the plight of civilians in conflict situations. And East Timor is just the latest example. In the former Yugoslavia I met women and girls who had been sexually assaulted, raped and forced into sexual slavery. In Sierra Leone I met children whose arms or legs had been brutally cut off during the civil war. I listened to accounts of children being abducted by rebels and sent to training centres or directly to the battlefront. Children were forced to attack their own villages and families and commit the most horrendous atrocities. Many of these child soldiers have been killed, while others have been maimed and psychologically scarred for life.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“The awful abuses committed in East Timor have shocked the world - and rightly so, since it would be hard to conceive of a more blatant assault on the rights of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. The murders, maimings, rapes and countless other atrocities committed by the militias, with the involvement of elements of the security forces, were especially repugnant because they came in the aftermath of the free expression of the wishes of the East Timorese people about their political future. I saw evidence of a well-planned and systematic policy of killings, displacement, destruction of property and intimidation. There must be accountability for the grave violations committed in East Timor. My recommendation is the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to gather and analyze evidence of the events in East Timor.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“My Office is more than willing to play its part in implementing the report's constructive recommendations on the effective implementation of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law and on the prevention of gross violations of human right so crucial to national and regional stability and thus to international peace and security. As High Commissioner for Human Rights, I have assumed a burden of listening: listening to the pain and anguish of victims of violations; listening to the anxieties and fears of human rights defenders. I am glad to share this burden with the members of the Council today because they have the power and possibilities to alleviate the pain and to prevent some of the anxieties being realized. If I refer to East Timor first it is because the terrible events of recent days are so fresh in my mind.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“I warmly welcome this opportunity to address members of the Security Council. I wish to express my appreciation to the Council for having commissioned this report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and I thank the Secretary-General for an excellent, clear and concise document. I am pleased to be here today, as the report raises issues close to my heart. The report accurately reflects the innumerable challenges which the United Nations faces in its work and so many of the human rights issues which my staff and I address on a daily basis.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source