YouSaid · the spoken record

Ruiz

lines on the record

73

first

2013-06-17

most recent

2015-02-23

sittings or episodes

10

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un-security-council

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1. “For example, in Colombia, international treaties on human rights and international humanitarian law are part of our constitutional body of law, which, according to our national jurisprudence, means that their provisions are binding and normative as constitutional provisions that supersede domestic law. In applying those principles, we act in accordance with the principles that underlie such treaties and in line with our country's belief that efforts to strengthen the rule of law should be based on States' own initiatives, in accordance with their particular needs and their institutional capacities. Colombia believes that the administration of justice is one of the primary roles of States and that the strength of their democratic institutions depends on it.”

   2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source

2. “Mr. Ruiz (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): Iwould like to thank you, Madam President, for having organized this open debate on a topic of great importance for all Member States, namely, justice and the rule of law. I would like to acknowledge all those who have spoken before me and welcome the Secretary-General's report (S/2013/341) on measuring the effectiveness of the support provided by the United Nations for the promotion of the rule of law in conflict and post- conflict situations. Colombia attaches great importance to the rule of law and sees it as a key element in the maintenance and strengthening of institutions and the efficient administration of justice.”

   2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source

3. “Following those principles, while guiding collective efforts to support national authorities, acquire much greater significance when cooperation is directed at countries that enjoy democratic institutions and lawfully established Governments.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

4. “Verified, objective, balanced and unbiased information includes not only identifying the gaps and challenges but also acknowledging the progress in each country. The United Nations should promote compliance with international humanitarian law by non-State armed groups and carefully determine the mechanisms to achieve that goal. In our view, each situation is different and should be addressed by taking its particular circumstances into account. Finally, my Government understands and shares the concern about humanitarian access. It believes that international assistance in that area must follow the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence enshrined in General Assembly resolution 46/182.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

5. “The implementation of United Nations mandates with a protection-of-civilians aspect must be accompanied by the political will of States and their ability to meet their responsibilities towards the civilian population. The Colombian State notes the report of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict of 22 November 2013 (S/2013/689), whose recommendations my country will consider in line with their relevance. Mydelegationalsowishes toreiteratethe importance that United Nations agencies fully understand the work of national Governments in the area of the protection of civilians in prioritizing their work and informing the Organization of specific situations.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

6. “To that end, The Security Council will need to use indicators on the situation of civilians in places where it plans to undertake peacekeeping operations, request reports on developments in civilian protection work and utilize tools such as the Arria Formula and interactive dialogue for a more in-depth analysis and the sharing of lessons learned. My Government is aware of the positive role that the various accountability mechanisms play in strengthening the protection of civilians during armed conflicts. Without closing the door to negotiation that provides combatants with incentives to demobilize and return to civilian life, for Colombia, the pursuit of peace and reconciliation includes justice, reparation for the victims, reconstruction of the truth and the guarantee on non-recurrence.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

7. “In that context, Colombia, as a troop-contributing country, supports the role of peacekeeping operations in such tasks and is convinced of the need for clarity both in the concept and the operability when carrying out protection of civilian activities. The Secretariat has been working tirelessly on such tasks. In order to ensure successful implementation, we believe that it is essential to pay particular attention to the planning and mandate-development phases, to the allocation of adequate resources and to ensuring the training of troops to the necessary standard. In that regard, the Security Council should strengthen its ability to gather accurate information on the situation of civilians before a mandate is prepared and to monitor progress in the field during its implementation.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

8. “Colombia believes it appropriate to recall that the success of peacekeeping operations is evident when, having laid the foundations for lasting peace, empowered the national authorities and integrated the protection of civilians as an international duty and obligation, such operations are no longer required. We share the concern over the situation that the civilian population faces in situations of armed conflict in some parts of the world and over the repeated non-compliance by parties to conflicts with their obligation to respect and protect civilians in accordance with international law. We agree that all parties to a conflict should respect international law, that the protection of civilians must be ensured and that there must be accountability when the law is violated.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

9. “Mr. Ruiz (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to begin by thanking you, Madam President, for organizing this debate and for preparing the concept note (S/2014/74, annex) that guides it. I would also like to thank Ms. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Ms. Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Mr. Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, for their presentations. Colombia values the opening of this forum for consideration, which enables us to address the importance of the protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict through peacekeeping operations and other relevant activities.”

   2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source

10. “With that conviction, the Colombian Government supports and vehemently defends the right to freedom of speech in all its forms. Colombia believes that the important role played by the United Nations to identify national deficiencies and challenges should be accompanied by a recognition of the progress achieved in each country.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

11. “That special treatment is based upon article 20 of Colombia's Constitution, which states that every person is guaranteed the freedom to express and disseminate their thoughts and opinions, to inform and receive truthful and impartial information and to establish mass communications media. In 2010, Colombia also enacted Act 1426, by which it established measures with regard to criminal actions against the rights of legally protected groups of human rights defenders and journalists. More recently, the National Protection Unit was established, under the Ministry of the Interior, to unify the State's frameworks to protect civilians in order to provide security to judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders and journalists, among other vulnerable groups.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

12. “My country considers it extremely important that the bodies of the United Nations system, in their spheres of competence and in accordance with their mandates under the Charter, be fully familiar with the work of national Governments in the field of the protection of civilians when establishing priorities for their own work and when informing the Organization on the respective situations. Colombia sees the freedom of speech and of the communications media as a pillar of the democratic system. In that line of thinking, and given the challenges faced in a conflict environment, such as that experienced in Colombia with its many violent factors, the Colombian State decided to afford special treatment to journalists, bearing in mind the threats they could face.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

13. “Journalists covering armed conflicts exercise the fundamental right of providing citizens with necessary information when crises turn violent, which in turn leads to conflicts and lends even more urgency to journalists' work. In that context, Colombia sees the Security Council's interest in those matters as a contribution to the specialized work being carried out in other forums that have the competence to speak and act on such matters, such as the Human Rights Council, the special rapporteurs and UNESCO.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

14. “As President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon - who is a journalist by profession - has said on several occasions, journalists in Colombia can rest assured that the Colombian Government has arranged all the measures necessary to promote and protect, at all costs, the freedom and independence of their selfless work without exception, to the extent that, as he reaffirmed, criticism from the press, far from antagonizing us, serves to encourage self-evaluation, self-reflection and the continued improvement of the Government. Colombia shares the concern expressed in various Security Council statements with regard to violence againstjournalists.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

15. “Mr. Ruiz (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I wish to thank Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo, of the United States of America, as President of the Security Council, for the invitation to participate in this open debate and for giving us an opportunity to share the comments of the Government of Colombia with regard to the protection of journalists. The Government of Colombia promotes and protects the freedom of the press.”

    2013-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7003Resumption1 (2013) · source

16. “On the other hand, under which parameters would such sanctions be enforced against illegal armed groups? What types of issues would be addressed and what types of Government actions would be taken into account with regard to prevention and cooperation?”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

17. “However, the implementation of sanctions mechanisms with respect to non-State armed actors in situations not on the Council's agenda could lead to various complications related to the legitimacy of the mandates, the effectiveness of the actions and the credibility of the Organization. It is important that the Council bear in mind the fundamental elements of States and their security before implementing new mechanisms the consequences of which are not yet clear. Attempts to establish targeted sanctions mechanisms raise questions of all kinds, particularly questions related to illegal armed groups that have carried out terrorist activities and respect neither domestic nor international law. In that context, how does the Council expect to implement its sanctions?”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

18. “In that sense, both the Council and its Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict should evaluate the effectiveness of existing mechanisms in terms of their contribution to strengthening States' national capacities. That has been a central preoccupation of the Colombian Government, which understands that the defence of children involves not only an indisputable constitutional mandate, but an ethical and moral imperative. Finally, taking into account the context of this debate, I would like to note the possibility of establishing a sanctions mechanism related to children and armed conflict. We should note that sanctions make sense only when applied to Governments that do not respond to the international community's calls for action.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

19. “On the other hand, it is important, in examining such situations, to always bear in mind that the work of the Security Council should focus on those conflict situations that pose a threat to international peace and security. It is therefore imperative to distinguish them clearly from situations that are not on the Council's agenda. Every situation must be dealt with individually, and appropriate responses must be sought for the specific circumstances and context of each case. In strengthening the Council's consideration of the issue of children in armed conflict, denunciation and naming can be useful tools, but they are not completely effective.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

20. “8) Against this backdrop, it is important for the Colombian Government that the monitoring mechanism strengthen international pressure on such terrorist groups to cease their violent acts and their activities against children rather than creating procedures that may legitimize those groups as political interlocutors. Colombia reiterates that the role of the United Nations role regarding issues related to children and armed conflict should, given the gravity and importance of the issue, an approach that prioritizes cooperation and prevention. Calls for the Secretariat to enter into contact with illegal armed groups even as it seeks to establish punitive mechanisms are contradictory and discourage countries that are working to implement action plans and develop their national capacities to prevent, combat and tackle such problems.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

21. “I therefore reiterate the statement made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs at a meeting of the Security Council on this issue on 12 July 2011: "It is entirely naive to think that the United Nations or any other multilateral organization can change the minds of terrorist organizations that for decades have struck fear in civilian populations, that profit from illicit activities, that utilize terror as a modus operandi, that use children as their tools to those ends and that have always ignored national and international norms." (S/PV6581, p.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

22. “For these reasons - and in view of the agreement reached between the Colombian Government and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflicts that, in implementing the monitoring and reporting mechanism pursuant to resolution 1612 (2005), any dialogue between representatives of illegal armed groups and the Special Representative, the United Nations country team or task force on monitoring and reporting is possible only with the express prior consent of the Government of Colombia - it is with concern that we note that the practice of establishing unauthorized contact with such illegal armed groups continues.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source

23. “Mr. Ruiz (Colombia) (spoke in Spanish): First of all, I would like to thank you, Sir, for your invitation to participate in this debate and for the opportunity to present the comments of the Government of Colombia on a topic to which we ascribe the greatest importance. I wish to thank the Secretary-General for his report before us today (S/2013/245). In this regard, I recall that resolution 1612 (2005) provides for the implementation of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and the presentation of reports in close consultation with the concerned countries and, therefore, with their Governments. In that regard, we emphasize that such close consultations should be held at all steps in the process, in particular in the phase prior to the submission of draft reports to New York.”

    2013-06-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6980 (2013) · source