YouSaid · the spoken record

Rodney Hunter

lines on the record: 138
first: 2020-06-23
most recent: 2021-04-22
sittings or episodes: 18
sources: un-security-council

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

“We welcome the work of regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, to foster stability in Guinea-Bissau and the wider region. The United Nations has proved its ability to promote capacity-building and foster regional stability. Yet the scourge of terrorism continues to plague the region on a weekly, if not daily, basis. We are deeply concerned about the resulting continued instability across the Sahel. As we said before, we join our colleagues in condemning the attacks that killed 100 civilians in the Niger on 2 January. Those cowardly and heinous attacks must stop. There is no place in the modern world for violence against innocent people.”
2021-01-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/43 (2021) · source
“We are confident that the support of UNOWAS will continue to show success during the Niger’s second round of presidential elections in February. Turning to Guinea-Bissau, I would like to thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Sori-Coulibaly for her dedication to the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) and for seeing the mission through to completion. The closure of UNIOGBIS on 31 December is a sign of the country’s development and political progress. However, while great strides have been made, the United Nations country team and UNOWAS must remain engaged and promote continued political stability in Guinea-Bissau. The citizens of Guinea- Bissau deserve continued progress and not to lose the gains that UNIOGBIS fostered. The international community must therefore remain vigilant.”
2021-01-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/43 (2021) · source
“I thank Special Representative Chambas for his informative briefing today. He and his team were indeed very busy over the past few months. This past autumn the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) played an integral role in supporting free and fair presidential elections in five West African nations. The coronavirus disease pandemic complicated the situation, and we extend our appreciation to Mr. Chambas and his team for their tireless support for long-term stability and security in the region. While much work needs to be done, we are seeing progress. Those five elections in West Africa occurred in a relatively calm environment and took place without serious electoral problems.”
2021-01-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/43 (2021) · source
“We are here to work with the transitional Government as well as the other members of the Council to help the country and the region achieve peace and prosperity.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“I do not need to remind the Council of the devastating consequences for stability in the region and for the people of South Sudan when Government and opposition forces used their weapons to wage the deadliest civil war Africa has seen in decades, often using such weapons against civilian men, women and children. We call on South Sudan’s leadership to engage in a serious conversation about the tangible steps it can take to assure the international community that any weapons in the Government’s possession will not be turned against civilians or used to undermine the peace process. The United States stands ready to support South Sudan in that endeavour. In conclusion, the United States is committed to a better future for the people of South Sudan.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“On sanctions, the Security Council has committed to an ongoing review of all sanctions measures on South Sudan and is working to establish a clear benchmarking process to assess the arms embargo. Repeated public statements by South Sudan’s leadership that the arms embargo should be removed to allow for the purchase of weapons to supply the unified forces are disingenuous. There is already a clear exemption procedure for the arms embargo that the Government of South Sudan can use if it requires any arms or materials to support the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“As UNMISS continues to transition protection-of-civilian sites to camps for internally displaced persons and to turn security responsibility over to the Government of South Sudan, we urge for meaningful coordination and transparency with the humanitarian community and with the displaced themselves. Any future transitions should be based on security conditions, as well as the wishes and needs of displaced persons. We look forward to beginning the process to renew the UNMISS mandate next year. We plan to work closely with South Sudan and all members of the Council to ensure that UNMISS can respond to and address the current challenges in the country.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“During the 2020 fiscal year the United States provided nearly $982 million in humanitarian assistance to support the response to the crisis in South Sudan and for South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries. However, needs clearly outpace the funding. Donors will have to immediately and significantly increase their contributions to South Sudan in order to save lives there. We continue to be a steadfast supporter of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and its life-saving work to protect civilians in conflict. We welcome and encourage continued UNMISS deployments in Jonglei and elsewhere to provide protection and deter violence against civilians. The protection of civilians, including displaced persons, remains an essential task.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“It must also encourage full implementation of the chapter V provisions of the Revitalized Agreement relating to transitional justice, including the establishment of a hybrid court, a compensation and reparation authority and a commission for truth, reconciliation and healing. Such justice efforts are critical to stopping the cycle of violence and supporting recovery. We encourage a greater leadership role for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other regional partners that continue to have a vested interest in the stability of the region. The United States remains the largest provider of humanitarian assistance funding in South Sudan and we have increased that assistance during the coronavirus disease pandemic.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“Now is the time for all of us, particularly South Sudan’s leadership, to redouble efforts to ensure the purposeful implementation of the peace process. The Government must work quickly to build trust, consolidate the gains of peace and continue to make progress, particularly in the areas of governance, security arrangements and transitional justice. Implementation must take into account the needs and perspectives of women and girls, young people and internally displaced persons, and it must yield tangible benefits for the people of South Sudan. That must include the full, effective and meaningful participation of women in all spheres and at all levels of political leadership and the peace process.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“There is no peace.” Violence at the subnational level continues to cause civilian casualties, women and girls continue to be subjected to conflict-related sexual violence and humanitarian workers, as was noted earlier, continue to be killed. Floods and violence continue to threaten the civilian population, particularly in Jonglei state, where humanitarian actors will need full, safe and unimpeded access to address the famine that is happening today. As the recently released Integrated Food Security Phase Classification data tells us, hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan are in immediate danger of starving to death in conditions we have not seen since 2017, when famine was last declared.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“We also welcome the announcement on 9 December by South Sudan’s presidency of an agreement to promptly appoint officials to state- and county-level Government positions and to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly. The United States looks forward to those appointments being completed as soon as possible. We fully recognize the domestic, regional and international efforts in support of achieving peace in South Sudan. However, for many in South Sudan, peace remains elusive. My colleagues met with a group of displaced persons in South Sudan only last week. They were just a few of the more than 1.6 million who remain unable to return to their homes due to the unstable security situation. A representative from that group told us, “Everyone is saying peace, peace, peace, but we don’t see it.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“I would like to thank Special Representative Shearer for his dedication to South Sudan and for his briefing today. Under-Secretary-General Lowcock’s briefing on the humanitarian situation is a reminder that we all need to come together to fight hunger in South Sudan. We also appreciate the update from our Vietnamese colleague on the activities of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015) concerning South Sudan. Today the United States welcomes the progress that has been made in implementing the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, forming the Transitional Government of National Unity and building institutions.”
2020-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1237 (2020) · source
“The United States once again urges Member States to repatriate, prosecute, rehabilitate and reintegrate, as appropriate, their citizens and nationals who travelled to Iraq to join ISIS. Iraq should not have to continue to shoulder responsibility for those foreign terrorist fighters and associated family members alone. We note the valuable support UNITAD can provide to other Member States in conducting such investigations and prosecutions. We thank the Government of Iraq and UNITAD for their continuing cooperation and work to hold ISIS accountable for all its atrocities.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“Exhumations are a painful process that can trigger difficult emotions, including sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness and fear, and we commend UNITAD and its partners for providing psychosocial support to staff, survivors and family members. We also commend the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government for their continuing support of those goals. In recognition of this critical work, the United States continues its financial support to UNITAD. As we noted in our last meeting on UNITAD, the United States S/2020/1193 provided $2 million in support of UNITAD’s first exhumations of mass grave sites in Iraq in the Sinjar region. As of December 2020, United States funding for UNITAD totals $8.85 million, which supports a wide range of different activities associated with UNITAD’s mandates.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“That was evidenced in late October when Iraqi authorities resumed the exhumations of mass graves left by ISIS in Solagh, known as the “grave of mothers”, where dozens of elderly Yazidi women were executed by ISIS because they were deemed too old to be sold into sexual slavery. In that case, and in so many others like it, we must never forget the brutality that ISIS inflicted on their victims. We recognize and applaud the Government of Iraq for its plans to exhume all mass graves and to remember and honour all those victimized by ISIS brutality. The United States also recognizes that while the evidence-based trials are absolutely critical to justice and to the healing process, so is support for victims and survivors. That includes psychosocial support, as well as the realization of victims’ rights through legal proceedings.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“We are confident that their increased cooperation will contribute to additional successful prosecutions of ISIS members in Iraq and abroad, and that the partnership between UNITAD, the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government will help to ensure positive outcomes for Iraq and the victims of those awful crimes. We know that coronavirus disease further complicated that critical work, worsening already difficult conditions. But, despite those obstacles, Iraq’s Mass Graves Directorate of the Martyrs Foundation and the Medico-Legal Directorate of the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with UNITAD, continue to build the capacity of national Iraqi forensic teams to conduct evidence-based investigations and exhumations.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“Those evidence-based trials will not only establish the clear culpability of ISIS and its members for the perpetration of such atrocities, but will help showcase Iraq’s justice system and its commitment to the rule of law. We are encouraged to hear that the Iraqi Parliament is considering legislation that would allow Iraq to prosecute ISIS suspects for international crimes. We support such efforts. It is imperative that those heinous crimes be labelled for exactly what they were — genocide and crimes against humanity — so that no one can ever doubt what took place, and so as to reflect what the Iraqi people have overcome. We also support UNITAD’s expanded cooperation with the Government of Iraq, including with the Iraqi judiciary.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“I wish to thank both Special Adviser Khan and Ambassador Bahr Aluloom for their extensive briefings on this difficult topic. The United States is committed to supporting the critical work of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD) to collect, store, and preserve evidence of atrocities by Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We urge the Iraqi Government to recommit to fair, evidence-based trials that allow the victims and survivors of ISIS brutality and false ideology to have their day in court.”
2020-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1193 (2020) · source
“We look forward to working with our partners in the Security Council and with those in the region to make that future a reality.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“Finally, we encourage UNOCA and the States of the region to work with the United Nations, the African Union and other relevant partners to develop viable strategies to strengthen their capacity for conflict prevention. This includes adding a gender perspective and building on partnerships with civil society. To that end, we applaud the renewed commitment by the ECCAS Heads of State and Government to operationalize the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Peace and Conflict S/2020/1188 Prevention in Central Africa in pursuit of the United Nations women and peace and security agenda. The United States will continue to do all it can to help the people of the Central African region create a future for themselves that is strong, peaceful and prosperous.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“We strongly support ECCAS’s continued work with the countries of the region to support the Central African Republic’s stability, especially as that country prepares for national elections on 27 December. The United States commends all Central African countries for their efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on the region, as Special Representative Fall noted today. As countries continue to battle this unprecedented crisis, regional solidarity is crucial. We commend ECCAS’s adoption of the COVID-19 regional response strategy for Central Africa and laud the efforts undertaken to preserve macroeconomic stability in the region by the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Bank of Central African States, the Development Bank of Central African States and the Paris Club.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“The United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) can support them in this effort. We are also closely following Burundi, as the Office of the Special Envoy there prepares to close. We urge the Burundian Government to continue to work with Special Representative Fall, as well as with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region and others to develop a reasonable timeline for the closure of that Office. In the Central African Republic, the United States appreciates the regional role that the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) plays to support the peace agreement by engaging the Central African Republic’s neighbours.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“Cameroon is facing multiple crises, including terrorist attacks in the far north, ongoing violence in the Anglophone regions, and the impact of significant refugee flows from its neighbours, all of which are compounded by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We are deeply troubled by the recent increase in attacks by separatist armed groups on civilians, including arson and kidnappings, and, as was noted by my United Kingdom colleague, the murder of school children in Kumba on 24 October is particularly abhorrent. Recent events in Cameroon are a clear indication that to end the violence a political solution is needed. We urge the leaders of separatist groups and the Cameroonian Government to take bold steps to build confidence and move toward a meaningful dialogue.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“I thank Special Representative Fall for his informative and insightful briefing on the current situation in Central Africa. We appreciate the report of the Secretary-General on recent events in the region (S/2020/1154) and commend his efforts and those of his team to promote long-term peace and stability. Of all the countries under Special Representative Fall’s purview, as was noted earlier, the one that presents perhaps the greatest concerns is Cameroon, where more than 6.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance — 2.3 million people more than at the beginning of the year.”
2020-12-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1188 (2020) · source
“Allow me to take this opportunity to thank South Africa for its leadership in the African Union over the past year, including establishing an inclusive strategy to address COVID-19 on the African continent. This has been tremendously helpful in addressing this health crisis and containing the economic fallout of the pandemic. Your work, President Ramaphosa, and the dedication of your country and your people to the people of the continent has literally saved innumerable lives. We also appreciate the positive role you played in securing the AU a mediation role in the negotiations around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The African Union is an essential partner in working towards peace and security, and we look forward to our continued collaboration in future.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“Doing this will lead to more durable peace in future. Building on this momentum, we look forward to continued work with the AU and the United Nations on improving the quality of our peacekeeping efforts, including preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and addressing allegations thereof levelled at personnel from both organizations on the ground in Africa. We continue to be deeply troubled by continued allegations against peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. It is essential that both the AU and the United Nations create effective mechanisms to prevent exploitation, abuses and misconduct and to promote accountability when allegations arise. We urge all troop- and police-contributing countries to strictly enforce the United Nations and AU zero-tolerance policies.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“The United Nations has contributed by developing security plans and assisting with the formulation of guidelines for peace support operations to ensure protection from COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic. We also applaud the United Nations and the AU on their cooperation to promote the women and peace and security agenda, including the October 2019 high-level solidarity mission to the Horn of Africa. Women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by conflict, and it is essential to increase the representation of women at all levels of decision-making related to peace and security. The needs and perspectives of women and girls must be included in all aspects of conflict prevention, management and resolution to better protect and respond to the needs of the entire population.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“The violence has already caused tens of thousands to flee their homes and imperils the lives of many more, both through direct attacks on civilians and because of ethnic discrimination. Working together and with the support of the international community, the United Nations and the AU are best positioned to secure the protection of civilians; to secure free, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access; and to push for a peaceful, durable solution. The United Nations and the AU have also jointly undertaken efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 throughout the region. The African Union Commission is working tirelessly to complement efforts by Member States and to support and implement a continental response to the pandemic.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“We similarly recognize United Nations-AU efforts in Darfur over the past decade — particularly through the work of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) — to protect civilians, support the extension of State authority and monitor human rights violations and abuses. The United States remains committed to ensuring UNAMID draws down responsibly. We also expect to see the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan be well-positioned to take over key responsibilities from UNAMID, including support for the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement. And at this very moment, the strong United Nations-AU partnership has been crucial to addressing the conflict in Tigray and the unfolding humanitarian emergency that threatens stability across the region.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“We recognize the good work of both the United Nations Office to the AU and the AU Peace and Security Council, whose close collaboration in decision-making is critical for preventing and responding effectively to conflicts across the continent. We also praise the United Nations for its wide-ranging support to the AU’s Silencing the Guns in Africa initiative and its political, technical and logistical support for the African Union’s mediation and peace agreement implementation efforts in the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, South Sudan and the Sudan. We appreciate the coordinated efforts of the United Nations and AU to address instability in Somalia. Despite a perilous operating environment, the joint efforts will bring long-term stability and security to the Somali people.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, and President Ramaphosa for organizing today’s discussion. I also thank the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) for their comprehensive overviews this morning. The African Union has proven itself, time and again, as an indispensable partner to the United Nations on the African continent. In recent years, we have deepened cooperation between the United Nations and the AU, recognizing each organization’s distinct advantages, shared values and common interests. Together we are firmly committed to the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.”
2020-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1179 (2020) · source
“The United States envisions a modern, multi-ethnic, stable and prosperous democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one that is responsible for its own destiny. For Bosnia and Herzegovina to succeed, the next generation must be able to obtain the opportunities they seek within a diverse, united and integrated republic in the heart of Europe.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“The Trump Administration is committed to assisting the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in their pursuit for peace, and the pursuit for a more free, just and democratic society. We also believe that Bosnia and Herzegovina must continue to stay the course towards European integration and transatlantic cooperation. Towards this end, we look forward to fully meeting previously agreed objectives and conditions for the closure of the Office of the High Representative. In meeting these objectives, the security, stability and prosperity of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be greatly enhanced. As we mark the milestone of 25 years since Dayton, we call on all friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina to lend their support as the country looks ahead to the next 25 years and beyond.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“Furthermore, the United States supports the European Union military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR Althea, a military deployment responsible for overseeing the military implementation of the Dayton accords. We commend the work of EUFOR Althea and its role in preserving a safe and secure environment. In this regard, we also thank the United Kingdom for its enduring contributions to security in the Western Balkans, including 16 years of deployed service as part of EUFOR Althea. The first EUFOR Commander was British Major General David Leakey in 2004, and he set a high bar in excellence leading the force that carries through to today. We appreciate the United Kingdom’s continued role in the region through NATO.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“The Mostar elections — the first in that city since 2008 — will be an opportunity for the people to hold their leaders accountable and exercise their rights as citizens. We urge Council members to oppose any efforts by external actors to sow discord during the local elections, on the Dayton anniversary, and beyond. We also encourage all levels of Government in Bosnia and Herzegovina to better coordinate in addressing the needs of refugees and migrants. We urge authorities to take all appropriate measures to address their needs, especially with respect to the provision of shelter. This is increasingly urgent, as we all know, as winter approaches.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“We also mark a tragic milestone this year. We remember those who lost their lives 25 years ago in the Srebrenica genocide. In July 1995, more than 8,000 men and boys were executed in Srebrenica. We stand with loved ones and friends who continue to seek justice and support efforts to honour the dignity of all the victims, including those who still await a final resting place. This painful event must never be denied or forgotten, and we must all ensure that a tragedy like Srebrenica is never repeated. Looking forward, the local elections planned for 15 November and in Mostar on 20 December will be opportunities for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leaders to demonstrate their commitment to free and fair elections.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“I thank High Representative Inzko for his continued dedication and representation of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United States of America commends Bosnia and Herzegovina for reaching an important milestone — 25 years of peace following the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. Thar historic agreement provided an opportunity to end the ravages of war so that future generations could live in peace and security. But, as we all know, challenges still remain. To fully realize Dayton’s promise, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leaders must abandon the zero-sum ethnic politics of the past. By improving governance, combatting corruption and increasing accountability, today’s leaders have an opportunity to fulfil their people’s aspirations for a future that is integrated with Euro-Atlantic institutions.”
2020-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1103 (2020) · source
“On 5 December 2019, the United States and Viet Nam announced further support for Vietnam’s dioxin remediation efforts at Bien Hoa airbase, and we have committed $300 million to the 10-year effort to restore the airbase and surrounding areas. Finally, as we discussed just this week and has been mentioned by others today, we must act with urgency as it relates to the FSO SAFER oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. Few potential environmental disasters loom as large. Failure to address this situation, as the Council has been briefed about at length, would have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian implications, not just for Yemen, but for much of the region.In conclusion, we urge all Member States not to lose sight of the environmental dimensions of conflict and the associated economic and health effects for the populations affected.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“We are also working with the international community to combat the disastrous environmental and security impacts of illicit gold mining in Venezuela, as facilitated by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro Moros regime and other criminal actors. A sensitive issue, and one that hits closer to home for us in the United States, is from the Viet Nam war, which involved a chemical defoliant with severe and lingering human health impacts. The United States has been working to support Viet Nam’s efforts to clean up dioxin, or Agent Orange, contamination. In 2018, the United States concluded its support of a six-year, $110-million project for environmental remediation of dioxin at Da Nang airport.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“The United States and Colombia signed an memorandum of understanding in 2018 to combat illegal gold mining by supporting its regularization and formalization, working jointly to detect and eliminate the use of mercury, strengthening legal economic alternatives to illegal mining, strengthening efforts to identify and monitor areas affected by illegal mining and strengthening the capacity of law enforcement to prevent, control, investigate and prosecute crimes associated with the illicit exploitation of minerals. A similar memorandum of understanding with Peru in 2017 became the basis for the Colombia memorandum of understanding.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“These activities addressed security and governance vacuums and disrupted operations of transnational organized syndicates. These programmes strengthen the management of the protected areas of the park while improving security and the rule of law in the region and ensure that the rangers are able to protect the park, pursue and arrest poachers and other perpetrators of illicit activity, and work with surrounding populations to conserve and manage the park’s resources in a responsible manner. As a result of this support, the number of elephants poached has dropped from 100 per year in 2017 to fewer than 10 per year in the past two years. The number of attacks on villages by the Lord’s Resistance Army and other armed groups within Garamba’s area of operation was reduced from 68 in 2015 to only one in 2019.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“The United States has partnered with many Governments to help repair the effects of environmental damage related to conflict. In 2018, the United States, through the United States Agency for International Development’s Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment, addressed wildlife trafficking in areas of south-eastern Central African Republic and north- eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Partners of the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment operate in collaboration with communities living near targeted protected areas of Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chinko Nature Reserve in the Central African Republic to control wildlife poaching and trafficking, which is a source of financing for groups active in the region.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“Armed criminal groups, including some from Colombia designated as terrorists, are indiscriminately poisoning the land and water, clandestinely exporting the wealth that is the birth right of every Venezuelan. These are just a few examples of how environmental damage during conflict can prolong the effects of these conflicts on innocent people. Even after the conflict ends, its impact on the environment can hinder or outright prevent individuals’ S/2020/929 S/2020/929 ability to recover, including the safe, dignified and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes. The economic impact of environmental damage can be felt not only in direct financial losses, but also in the costs associated with rehabilitating the environment post-conflict.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“In Colombia, illegal armed groups have continued to contest resources in rural areas, some of which were controlled by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia prior to the 2016 peace accord. Concerns include land-grabbing and deforestation, illegal mining and coca cultivation and cocaine production. Newly deforested hectares in 2016 were 44 per cent higher than in 2015, and continued to increase in 2017. In 2018, deforestation decelerated somewhat, but remains one of Colombia’s most critical environmental challenges. And in Venezuela, the illegitimate Maduro Moros regime is complicit in and profiting from illegal gold mining, which is devastating the environment and indigenous populations across the southern part of the country.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“In 2017, the so-called Islamic State triggered vast toxic clouds by setting ablaze oil wells and a sulphur factory near the Iraqi city of Mosul, poisoning the landscape and the people. Those engaged in conflict have used biodiversity hotspots for refuge — places like Garamba National Park, which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, and Virunga National Park and Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is leading to the decimation of native protected plant and animal species owing to the poaching and trafficking of wildlife, illegal logging and illegal mining associated with conflict.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“The problem has grown as a multitude of non-State actors have exploded on the scene. Militias and organized criminal entities contribute to violence that destroys the environment within which they operate, and that perpetuates protracted and complex humanitarian crises. In times of conflict, the illegal exploitation of resources is used to support and fuel the conflict to the extreme detriment of the local populations. Indeed, the exploitation of natural resources and related environmental stresses frequently become part of the full range of the conflict cycle. Minerals, timber, wildlife, land and water resources can quickly become contested, their exploitation can finance conflict and the associated environmental degradation and social upheaval can undermine prospects for peace. Unfortunately, we have too many examples of this globally.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“We are pleased to have you join us in the Council today, Sir, albeit virtually. The United States appreciates the opportunity to reflect today on this very important issue. We have seen instances of environmental damage resulting from armed conflict all too frequently, and we know how this can impact humanitarian conditions in fragile contexts. Since 2004, when then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan highlighted the relationship between the environment, security and socioeconomic development, this organ has discussed various aspects of environmental effects on international peace and security. And as we know all too well, there is a growing competition for water resources and arable land playing a major role in driving conflict in both the Lake Chad basin and the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border region.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/929 (2020) · source
“If these leaders are able to step up now, put aside differences and accelerate the implementation of the peace agreement, we believe that South Sudan’s people will start to experience increased stability, security and prosperity. They will be able to believe that peace has come. The United States remains committed to the people of South Sudan and to working with the transitional Government and the Council to enable peace and prosperity for the country and the region.”
2020-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/914 (2020) · source
“Finally, we call for efforts to hold accountable those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses, including through progress on implementing the hybrid court for South Sudan; ensuring that civil society institutions, the media and opposition political parties can operate without intimidation; and reducing corruption through the implementation of provisions on joint governance, fiscal transparency and accountability in the Revitalized Peace Agreement. These areas for progress are not new. They reflect commitments already made by South Sudan’s leaders and endorsed by the region and the international community. We are simply asking South Sudan’s leaders to honour their own commitments.”
2020-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/914 (2020) · source