YouSaid · the spoken record

Ruiz Blanco

lines on the record: 39
first: 2015-05-13
most recent: 2016-08-02
sittings or episodes: 6
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 Colombian State considers it essential that all States assume their primary responsibility in the protection of the children within their borders. From that perspective we recognize the need to durably strengthen institutional capacities. In that regard, we believe that the United Nations plays a central role, and the report of the Secretary-General is undoubtedly a fundamental tool. Council members may rest assured that Colombia will continue furthering that endeavour.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“Colombia has a long tradition of measures to restore the rights of children who are victims of conflict, which we make available to countries in similar situations, along with all of the expertise my country has developed in this domain. From 1999 to date, more than 6,000 children have received assistance by way of the specialized programme for children demobilized from the armed groups, led by Colombia's family welfare institute. So far we have progressed in building a pathway that, taking the lessons learned from our experience, establishes the best way to re-establish the rights of children from the FARC camps and to ensure that they have access to all State services, including reparations. It is our hope that we can very soon announce the release of all of those boys and girls.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“I also highlight the announcement of the renunciation of recruitment by the FARC-EP and the establishment of a technical committee headed by the Ombudsman - an organ independent of the branches of public power - and the presidential council for human rights with a view to facilitating the release of the children who are involved with the FARC and to ensuring the full restoration of their rights. Throughout those efforts, we have had the support of the United Nations, particularly the Office of the Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, for whose commitment we are grateful.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“In the framework of this debate, I wish to highlight the effort the country has been making over the past four years to find a negotiated settlement to the internal armed conflict, keeping the victims at the centre of the process. As a result, today we can present significant advances for the children's welfare, in particular - as many prior speakers have mentioned - through the agreement on the release ofminors under 15 years of age from the camps of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC-EP) and the agreement on drafting a road map for the release of all other minors and a special comprehensive programme on their care that was introduced in May.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“We believe that the commitment of the international community as a whole is essential in order to achieve similar results in relation to non-State groups. Colombia rejects any kind of linkage between children and armed conflict. Since 1999, this practice has been completely banned in my country and is a crime under Colombian criminal law. In 2007, the Colombian Government established an intersectoral commission at the highest level to prevent the recruitment and use of children and adolescents in the conflict. It has been working throughout the country, using the guarantee of rights as a basic element of prevention.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“The Machel report was a milestone in the protection of children affected by armed conflict and outlined elements that served as paths for building regulatory frameworks and national policies. That is why Colombia hopes that today's open debate will serve as a opportunity to reiterate the commitment to the findings and recommendations of the report and to making progress in building a safer world for children. I also want to highlight the Children, Not Soldiers campaign led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, which is aimed at achieving the commitment of States that still recruit boys and girls into their national forces to eliminating this practice.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): I would like to begin by thanking Malaysia for its initiative to convene today's open debate during its presidency of the Security Council and for circulating the related concept note (S/2016/662, annex). I also welcome the statement by the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, as well as the briefings by his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila Zerrougui, and the Executive Director of UNICEF, Mr. Anthony Lake. In the 20 years since the publication of the Machel report (see A/51/306), the challenges in the protection of children in armed conflict persist, and its call to action remains in force.”
2016-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7753 (2016) · source
“Finally, with regard to transparency, it is increasingly necessary to move away from the practice of closed meetings and to hold open or public meetings more frequently, so that non-member countries may contribute to deliberations. In that way, Colombia firmly believes that the continuous improvement and proper implementation of the working methods of the Security Council will strengthen and improve the interaction between it and the other States not on the Council.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“Moreover, in connection with documentation, Colombia believes that it is essential to ensure that the annual reports presented by the Council to the General Assembly have a broad analytical component and discuss the reasons that have led it to take its decisions, especially in those situations where action was taken by the Council. That would ensure that the reports are truly informative rather than merely descriptive, as is currently the case. With regard to the programme of work, it is necessary to continue the good practice of publishing the monthly forecast by the Council presidency, keep it updated, make it publicly available, modify it whenever necessary and distribute it to the members of the Council with the appropriate changes.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“In the area of communications, Colombia recognizes the efforts made since December 2005 by the various Presidents of the Security Council who, together with the Presidents of the General Assembly, have maintained an ongoing dialogue and have informed Member States in a timely manner about developments with regard to the process of selecting the next Secretary-General. That has greatly contributed to the transparency and inclusiveness of the process. We therefore wish to explore the possibility of repeating that practice, so that it can be applied to other matters of shared interest.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“It is precisely such interactions and constructive dialogue with non-members of the Council that must serve as a guide in identifying the practices that have proved successful, those that require improvement and those that have not yet been included in the working methods of the Council. With today marking 10 years since the adoption of presidential note S/2006/507 - which has become a compilation of measures that must guide the Council's work - and nearly six years since the subsequent presidential note S/2010/507, which broadened and replaced that list of practices, I would like to make an earnest call to ensure its effective implementation and continued improvement.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): As pointed out in the concept note (S/2016/585, annex) circulated for this open debate, improving transparency, efficiency, inclusion and accountability in the working methods of the Security Council is essential if we want to achieve harmonization between the decisions taken by the Security Council on peace and security and the support that those decisions receive from the entire membership, particularly that of Member States that are not part of the Council. Those four elements are essential to creating a culture of decision-making that is in concert with collective interests.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“Finally, Colombia supports the further strengthening of international cooperation aimed at supporting the victims of terrorism, as called for in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It is vitally important that Governments, international and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media continue the work of supporting the victims of terrorism. My delegation reiterates its commitment to continuing to work actively with the international community in the discussion of this issue and in particular on the deliberations that will begin this week for the fifth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Dialogue, cooperation and concerted efforts are indispensable to a civilized coexistence free of the scourge of terrorism.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“Similarly, I consider it important to highlight the crucial role of the communications media in sensitizing and mobilizing public opinion against the atrocities committed by terrorist groups, using an approach that emphasizes the rights of Victims and that forcefully condemns the perpetrators of terrorist acts. The international media have already begun to contribute to the common goal of creating spaces and opportunities in which we can raise awareness of the tragic consequences of terrorism. At the same time, with regard to prevention, we must assess the negative impact of the cult of violence, to which many, in particular those same younger populations, are exposed. Under no circumstances can we accept the paradigm in which the use of violence is presented as an option for resolving conflicts or dealing with situations of any kind.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“Those efforts must be accompanied by the promotion of education for girls and women, which in the medium- and long-term, enables them to increase their capabilities, knowledge and resources and which, by extension, will enable them to play a more active role in the actions that States and societies take in countering terrorism and violent extremism. The policies for the prevention of terrorism and violent extremism must also focus on our young people, providing them with opportunities to study and work and play an active role in their societies. That will minimize the risk of their being radicalized and recruited by terrorist groups.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“Of particular interest to this debate are the recommendations on prevention. States must work with relevant members of their local communities and with non-governmental actors in the development of strategies to counter all kinds of incitement to acts of terrorism, regardless of their purported justification. We are aware of the importance of the participation and involvement of civil society and local communities in efforts to help the victims of terrorism, especially in the promotion of trust, harmony and intercultural respect and in efforts to boost individual and community resilience against terrorist activities. Women should be included in all stages of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of counter-terrorism efforts.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“Terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, ethnicity, community or nationality. We must therefore unite to forcefully fight that scourge based on objective criteria. At this point, I would like to clarify that, although Colombia has not suffered the terrible effects of violent extremism based on religious grounds, it has, for years, suffered great violence owing to a domestic conflict in which terrorism was used as a tool of action. As a result, my country has acquired good practices and capabilities to deal with such new phenomena, which could yield notable results. The Secretary-General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (A/70/674) offers Member States a series of recommendations for countering the threat, which Colombia considers useful.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I want to thank the Arab Republic of Egypt for convening this meeting and for the concept note (S/2016/416, annex) prepared for this debate. Colombia strongly rejects acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations, out of our conviction that such acts are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivations and at whatever time or by whomever they are committed. Those acts pose a grave threat to the life, well-being and fundamental freedoms of all peoples and threaten international peace and security by undermining the values and principles of States, their democratic institutions, the rule oflaw and the freedoms enshrined in and promoted by the various instruments of the United Nations.”
2016-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7690 (2016) · source
“We must have a coherent sustainable results-oriented framework and ensure a successful and peaceful transition to the next Government. I want to conclude by reiterating the support of Colombia to the invaluable work carried out by MINUSTAH in ensuring the sustainable well-being of the Haitian people. My country remains committed to continuing to contribute to the strengthening and training of the Haitian National Police by supporting training and advisory activities for officers, as well as through the involvement of Colombian police in MINUSTAH. I am pleased to announce that, in the first week of April, a contingent of 24 Colombian police officers, including four women, will reach Port-au- Prince to join the Mission with the aim of strengthening the rule of law, good governance and the level of security and well-being in the country.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“We welcome the agreement achieved to avoid a vacuum of governance in Haiti, and we reiterate that the next democratically elected President should assume as part of his policies a security and development approach, which will enable the country to overcome its current difficulties. We highlight the observation made by the Secretary-General in his report with regard to the need for Haitian stakeholders to be able to overcome the current climate of political uncertainty. That will make it possible for the country to make important advances in terms of political stability and lay a foundation for a democratic culture. Haiti must continue with its efforts to strengthen its institutions and the police force in the country. MINUSTAH must protect its achievements at all costs.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“That is why we appreciate the joint work carried out between MINUSTAH and the United Nations team in Haiti to define a transition plan for the country aimed at strengthening national ownership, in particular for its contribution to the progressive drawdown of the Mission's functions, which will then need to be assumed by the Government of Haiti. We note with concern the repeated postponement of elections in Haiti. In that regard, we are confident that corrective measures are being taken to ensure the holding of the second round of presidential elections free of the violent incidents and irregularities that took place in previous rounds.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“We reaffirm the need to create institutions both for the justice and prison systems in Haiti, since both scenarios present humanitarian challenges given the conditions in which people are detained in prisons in the country. We acknowledge MINUSTAH's support to local Governments in preparing newly elected mayors and municipal councils to take office appropriately. However, we note with concern the absence of women elected in the elections on 25 October, in disregard of the country's Constitution, as well as what was stated in resolution 1325 (2000) on the importance of increasing the representation of women at all levels of decision-making in national institutions. My country has indicated that the central responsibility in the Haitian process corresponds to the Government and its leaders.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“Although the number of cases of, and deaths from, cholera in 2015 was a cause for concern, we are pleased to note that the last quarter of 2015 had the lowest number of cases since the epidemic began. We hope that trend can be maintained. We are concerned about the repeated violations of children's rights mentioned in the report, especially the cases of child trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation. We regret all the acts of sexual violence against women; however, we recognize the progress achieved by the community violence reduction programme, which has provided assistance to 1,919 vulnerable women. Particular consideration is given in the report to the more than twofold increase in the number of Haitians affected by food security issues as compared to the figures reported six months ago.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate on the situation in Haiti and also thank Special Representative Sandra Honore for her proven commitment and leadership at the head of the Mission. Colombia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Ambassador of Peru on behalf of the Group of Friends of Haiti. Colombia underscores once again the invaluable work undertaken by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to ensure the sustainable well-being of the Haitian people. My country thanks the Secretary-General for his report (S/2016/225) and wishes to highlight a few aspects of it.”
2016-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7651 (2016) · source
“The work enjoys the support of the Foundation for Press Freedom and INTERPOL. I can therefore state with firm conviction that defending and effectively protecting those who have chosen to work as journalists in Colombia is the task of the Government of President Santos Calderon, in accordance with our Constitution, which in its article 20 "guarantees to all persons the freedom to express and disseminate their thoughts and opinions, to receive true and impartial information and to establish mass media organizations. The mass media are free and have a social responsibility". In closing, I should like to quote once again a journalist who was also our Nobel Prize laureate, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who, in speaking ofjournalism, said: "It can only be digested and humanized by its brutal confrontation with reality".”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“The process has involved more than 20 State agencies, 23 civil society organizations, 8 universities and media outlets. Our second measure was to establish a national protection unit, to which United States Ambassador Samantha Power referred this morning. The national protection unit has provided protection to more than 137 journalists who were subject to threats, providing them with the necessary means for their protection, including armoured vehicles and escorts for the most serious cases, on behalf of the Colombian Federation of Journalists. Our third measure was to establish, through the national Attorney General's office, an action plan to strengthen investigations into serious violations of journalists' rights, as well as institutional capacities and the results of judicial inquiries so as to deliver effective justice in such cases.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“As President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, a journalist by profession, has stated on several occasions, journalists in Colombia can be assured that the Colombian State has all the means available to promote and protect, come what may, their freedom and independence and their self- sacrificing work, without exceptions of any kind. That is why I want to highlight some measures that we have developed for specific targeted actions that will have an impact on the promotion of freedom of expression and the security ofjournalists. First, we have established a public policy whereby, beginning in 2012, we have integrated all national security agencies, under the coordination ofthe Ministry of Interior, together with civil society organizations, to strengthen, guarantee and defend the right to the freedom of expression in the practice of journalism.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“In the 1980s and early 1990s, while our central Government was directly fighting the transnational network of drug trafficking mafias, it was courageous journalists who dared to denounce the criminal activities of those mafias and to publish them on the front page ofnewspapers like El Espectador, a daily that has suffered, without changing its editorial position, the devastating consequences of the assassination of its director, Don Guillermo Cano, and some of its journalists, including the almost total destruction of its facilities by a car bomb. UNESCO has recognized the courage of this exceptional journalist by attaching his name to the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. The Government of Colombia promotes and protects the freedom of the press.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Those lessons have served as a route to understanding the fundamental importance of journalism in providing not only visibility for those conflicts that occur globally and locally, but also a way to confront and expose those that threaten the lives of our citizens, institutions and democratic values.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“For Colombia, the freedoms of thought, opinion and expression, as well as the ability of all parties and opposition movements to freely express themselves without restriction, are not only values recognized and defended legally, but are fundamental, core legal principles of our societies and values of our Governments, which have confronted harsh and violent wars and forces, including those that have sought unsuccessfully to silence and destroy Colombian democracy. Colombia has learned many lessons based on past events that undermined our democracy.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): Madam President, we are grateful to your country for convening this open debate, which focuses our attention and that of the world on the situation facing journalists in the practice of their profession in times of serious crisis on the international scene. Multiple reports on this issue persistently show a serious deterioration in the conditions in which journalists work and the dangers they have faced over the past few years. I believe that these conditions signal serious concerns within a much broader context. They reflect the deterioration in international security and serve as indicators of the tenuous humanitarian situation confronting many countries.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“In conclusion, allow me to mention that, while the international community has over the past few decades developed the instruments necessary to effectively combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, the economic benefits that derive from that trade and the lack of political will to implement those instruments have allowed the trade to remain a problem of alarming magnitude, as many of the previous speakers have noted. That is why we believe it is time to act with a greater sense of humanity and to truly commit to fulfilling our obligations, legal, political and moral, and to move towards a world in which arms are only used by the proper authorities to guarantee peace, security and the safety of their citizens.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“No person shall possess or carry them without permission from the competent authority." Since 2002, together with South Africa and Japan, we have presented every year a draft resolution on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, which underscores, in addition to other elements, the need for States to intensify their cooperation, build national capacities related to the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, and which urges all countries to fully implement the Programme of Action.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“On 24 September 2013, the President of the Republic signed the Arms Trade Treaty, having determined that the Treaty is a useful and necessary tool to prevent crimes such as the diversion and illicit trade in arms by such unauthorized persons as terrorist groups, criminal gangs and criminal organizations. At this time, my country is in the process of ratifying the Treaty. Also at the domestic level, my country, which acknowledges the nefarious consequences of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and the destabilizing impact of their use by unauthorized actors, included in its Constitution article 223, which states "only the Government can introduce and manufacture weapons, munitions and explosives.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“All countries have the responsibility to prevent the illegal diversion and re-export of such weapons so that the spread of legal weapons to illegal markets is contained. Thirdly, the Council welcomed the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. By the same token, Colombia participated in the most recent developments in this field - the Arms Trade Treaty - and argued that small arms and light weapons should be included in the Treaty and that measures to prevent their diversion be defined.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“During our presidency in August 2001, an open debate (see S/PV.4362) was held during which a presidential statement (S/PRST/2001/21) was approved. 1 would like to highlight several elements of that statement. First, the destabilizing accumulation and uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons, in addition to increasing the intensity and duration of armed conflicts and thwarting efforts to prevent armed conflict, poses a major obstacle to the provision of humanitarian assistance. Secondly, there is a need for effective national regulations and controls concerning small arms and light weapons, that is, arms-exporting countries should exercise the highest degree of responsibility with regard to transactions involving small arms and light weapons.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“The most important development of that process was the approval of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects in July 2001. The Programme of Action includes a vigorous process of review that has made it possible to periodically evaluate and review its implementation and propose the measures necessary to ensure its continued relevance. At the level of our hemisphere, we participated in the negotiation of the Inter-American Convention against the Manufacturing of and Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, adopted in December 1997, and, until recently, the only binding instrument on this issue. Colombia also raised the issue of illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons in the Security Council.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“Colombia is aware that illicit arms trafficking is a phenomenon that does not respect borders and that is related to the world drug problem, transnational organized crime, terrorism and violations of human rights. Accordingly, the phenomenon should be approached from a broad, multilateral and holistic perspective. That is why Colombia has actively participated in all efforts to ensure that this issue is addressed in multilateral forums. For example, in the late 1980s we began to request, initially with a small group of countries, that the issue of illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons be included on the agenda of the General Assembly.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“Mr. Ruiz Blanco (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): First, I would like to thank you, Madam President, for convening this open debate on the human cost of the illicit transfer, destablilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. The issue is of the utmost importance in the current context and underscores how the challenges to peace and security of nations are closely linked to illicit arms trafficking. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the representative of the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms for their briefings and reports. For many years, Colombia has suffered the terrible impact that the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons has not only on the life and security of individuals but on a country's stability and development prospects.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source