YouSaid · the spoken record

Rycroft

lines on the record: 1,262
first: 2015-05-12
most recent: 2018-01-10
sittings or episodes: 197
sources: un-security-council

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“Not one single humantarian convoy has reached any of those areas on the United Nations plan this month. Those are two simple steps, and they must be taken if we are to have a chance of that most elusive third step - political talks that will bring an end to this horrorific conflict. As I have said many times before, Russia has a unique role to play in all three of those steps: to persuade the regime to end its destructive military approach, to allow full humanitarian access to all beiseged areas and to commit to a political settlement to end the brutal war.”
2016-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7817 (2016) · source
“We all want to counter terrorism in Syria, but attacks on schools and hospitals are not counter-terrorist operations. So we support Staffan de Mistura's request to send a United Nations verification team to investigate the attacks on hospitals in Aleppo. Secondly, aid needs to get in. We commend the United Nations on its humanitarian response plan for Aleppo. All parties need to implement it fully and immediately. But the issue goes far beyond Aleppo. As Staffan said, the United Nations now puts the number ofthose livining in besieged areas at almost one million people. Aid must reach those people. Unless we see an improvement, November will be the worst month yet for effots to deliver aid to besieged and hard-to-reach areas across Syria.”
2016-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7817 (2016) · source
“That is the result of deliberate aerial attacks on those hospitals and is part ofa systematic campaign to remove even the most basic of services left in the city. And yet, Russia has said: "The allegedly bombed hospitals in Aleppo exist only in the imagination". Please. We all know what needs to happen. I will repeat it in the Chamber again, and I will keep doing so until I am blue in the face if it means shifting the policy of the Russian Federation. First, stop the war crimes. Attacks on hospitals, civilians, schools and vital infrastructure are attacks that serve no military purpose. How can the bombing of the school, like the one in Idlib, be justified? How can the killing of 20 children and 3 teachers be justified? As Elbio Rosselli said, there is no god and no principle that can possibly justify such an attack.”
2016-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7817 (2016) · source
“The Syrian regime, which Russia chooses to back, is deliberately preventing the food and medicine from reaching those in need. Russia has the power to allow the aid, so desperately needed, into the city. If it does not, the world will hold it to account for the barbarous result. I urge the Russian Federation to persuade the Syrian regime to let the United Nations do its job and get aid into Aleppo. But the tragedy is that even that will not be enough. Not content with starving thousands of innocent civilians, the Assad regime is pummelling them with sortie after sortie of devastating air strikes. As we have heard, dozens have been killed and injured in the past few days alone, including through two vile attacks on the same children's hospital. Elizabeth has confirmed that there are no more functioning hospitals left in eastern Aleppo.”
2016-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7817 (2016) · source
“I thank Stephen O'Brien and Elizabeth Hoff for their powerful briefings. The United Nations is working tirelessly to help millions of men, women and children in desperate need in Syria. The Syrian regime and Russia, in contrast, seem to be determined to increase that number, make their suffering even worse and prolong the barbaric conflict. As Stephen has spelled out, that is most clearly seen in Aleppo. Hundreds of thousands of people are enduring hell, living without the most basic supplies, living - if it can be called that - in fear of barrel bombs, shelling or worse. They have gone months without receiving a single delivery of aid or a single box of medical supplies. And yet, thanks to the United Nations there are trucks full of supplies ready and waiting to go, ready and waiting to save lives.”
2016-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7817 (2016) · source
“Therefore, we know that an arms embargo will have an impact in the short, medium and long term. We know all the answers to all of those questions and we know that stopping these weapons will be a step in the right direction in this matter oflife and death. No matter how dark the situation is in South Sudan, it can get worse, but it can also get better, provided we take action. So let us act collectively and with authority, wisely using the tools at our disposal, to get where we are all aiming, namely sustainable peace and freedom from fear for the people of South Sudan.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“We cannot stand idly by while the people of South Sudan have weapons used against them by their fellow citizens. There is no reason, given these conditions, to allow the continued flow of weapons to those who could eventually turn them on civilians. Let me tackle concerns about an arms embargo head on. First, an arms embargo is no longer a matter of political leverage - we have other tools. Cooperation around a political process and stopping the flow of arms are not mutually exclusive. Secondly, we know that an arms embargo can be implemented because of the limited infrastructure in South Sudan - only one main tarmac road and only four main airports. Thirdly, we know that, with an embargo, the operation of heavy weaponry will be limited and the flow of ammunition will be reduced.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“My third point is that we already know the steps that need to be taken: an immediate end to the fighting; an immediate end to obstructions on UNMISS, the Regional Protection Force and humanitarians; an immediate end to hate speech and incitement; and a redoubling of collective political effort behind an inclusive political conversation. The situation in South Sudan described today is dark. It is grim. But ley us make no mistake that, as Ms. Ellen Laj said, it can get darker. For this reason, we need to listen to Mr. Adama Dieng and use the tools that we have to prevent that from happening. I agree with all of his proposals and that includes his point that it is urgent for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo. The United Kingdom has consistently called for that and we support the United States' proposal.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“Is it not time for us to unite to give the people of South Sudan hope? I know the United Kingdom is willing to do so. I know that the United Kingdom can and must play a greater, even more significant part in that effort as a member of the troika and as a bilateral partner. But this effort extends beyond any single Government. In fact, beyond the confines of this Chamber. We need a truly global effort - one that includes the members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, the United Nations, and especially one that requires the political will, the political courage of South Sudan's leaders. They must admit to the scale of the problem and commit to being part of an inclusive and peaceful political solution.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“Adama Dieng just said genocide does not happen overnight. The warning signs are there. That should play over and over our minds. He is telling us to open our eyes. He is telling us to act before it is too late. If we fail to do so, the consequences will be unspeakable. Just think, if that horrific process, if that tragedy were to become a reality, how could we sit around this table and ask what could we have done? Instead, today, we need to choose to take a different path. This brings me to my second point. On the eve of South Sudan's independence, we unanimously adopted resolution 1996 (2011), which authorized the creation of UNMISS. Since that day, South Sudan has landed on the Council's agenda 70 times. On how many of those occasions has the Council spoken with one voice?”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“I thank the briefers. I would like to begin by paying particular tribute to Special Representative Ms. Ellen Laj for leading the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) through an extremely difficult period. As all three briefers have made so painfully clear, South Sudan is deteriorating before our very eyes. Ethnic tensions have reached a breaking point. The humanitarian situation now rivals the worst on the continent of Africa and the political talks that could have brought peace to millions now appear to be further from success than at any point in the country's brief history. We just cannot stay silent in the face of such tragedy. Here are the three things that we need to do to help the people of South Sudan. First and foremost, we need to recognize that this is no ordinary civil war. Mr.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7814 (2016) · source
“Whether it be through the United Nations, the Coalition against Da'esh or the Islamic Development Bank, it is clear that OIC has a vital role to play in countering the dangerous ideologies that threaten international peace and security.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“For example, the Islamic Development Bank serves the economic development needs of the 57 OIC countries, with annual commitments totaling well over $10 billion. All OIC States can use those funds to finance projects that help improve the lives of people living in OIC States. The United Kingdom is proud to be helping that effort. Our collaboration can be seen in the $25-million Arab Women's Enterprise Fund, which will create more jobs for women. It is also seen in the $9 billion that the Bank committed at the London Conference on Syria. In closing, we look forward to our collaboration with OIC strengthening further.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Last June, the General Assembly directed the United Nations system to implement the relevant recommendations of the Secretary-General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and encouraged States to do the same. We all now need to work to turn those concepts into action. That means mobilizing the correct resources and expertise in order to enable United Nations entities to devise a strategic approach. It also means Member States developing national action plans on preventing violent extremism and helping other Member States do the same. Thirdly and finally, we need to recognize that countering extremist ideologies is not always about the United Nations or about fighting Da'esh. Sometimes it is about working together to create opportunities that provide an alternative to false ideologies.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“That is why the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom launched a campaign to bring Da'esh to justice, with the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Belgium on 13 September, the opening date of the new session of the General Assembly. Holding Da'esh accountable is a top priority for the United Kingdom and we are seeking United Nations action to preserve evidence of the crimes of Da'esh as a first step to that end. My second point is that OIC States have a valuable role to play in building an even stronger consensus around the work of the United Nations to prevent violent extremism. Together, we can make the United Nations system better at understanding and tackling the root causes of terrorism, including by addressing violent extremism narratives. The United Nations is stepping up in that regard.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Those beacons of Islamic thinking help provide a narrative of tolerance that counters the hate preached by the likes of Da'esh. The United Kingdom is committed to helping spread that narrative and showing the reality of the lies of Da'esh. That is why we are hosting the Coalition's Strategic Communication Cell in London. It draws on the expertise of Coalition members, including our partners from the United Arab Emirates, to help counter the misrepresentation of Islam and its values by Da'esh. Countering the ideology is partly about offering a competing narrative, but it is also about delivering consequences to those who join Da'esh and supporting survivors of their crimes by giving them a voice and ending impunity.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Put simply and starkly, far more Muslim men, women and children have lost their lives at the hands of groups like A1-Shabaab and Da'esh than people of any other faith or religion. The fact that those evil groups claim to represent Islam only makes that reality even more sickening. The United Kingdom is clear that we must tackle violent extremism in all its forms, whether it be radical Islam or neo-Nazism. OIC States are key partners in that fight, and I want to set out today three ways in which our cooperation can help counter those ideologies. First, it is no coincidence that 18 members of OIC are also members of the Global Coalition Against Da'esh. Among them are our colleagues from Egypt. I want to pay tribute to the work of those two great Egyptian institutions, Al-Azhar and Dar Al-Ifta.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“I thank the Senegalese delegation for convening this important debate. Ijoin others in thanking the briefers. I warmly congratulate Mr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen on his election as Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The United Kingdom looks forward to working with him and with OIC. As the representative body of 57 Muslim-majority States, OIC speaks with a unique authority on the issues facing the Islamic world, so I am glad that OIC's voice is being heard in the Chamber today. One such issue facing OIC's members - indeed, all Members of the United Nations - is the growing threat of extremist ideologies and violent extremism. Sadly, as we in the Council know only too well, that threat affects Muslim-majority States in a truly disproportionate way, including Iraq, Syria, Libya and many other places.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Therefore, the big question is how we can change that so that United Nations policing can realize its potential. Rather than make a full statement today, I would like to hear from everyone around the table. In the interest of modernizing our working methods, I will now give up the floor.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7808 (2016) · source
“This is a really important issue, and I want to thank all the briefers. Their presentations were very valuable indeed. One fascinating insight that I learned this morning is that 19 per cent of the police in the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur are women, inspiring Darfuri women and girls. United Nations policing is at the front line of our work. Policemen and policewomen under the United Nations flag help communities at risk of violence, they respond to incidences of disorder and they provide technical expertise to improve domestic police services in fragile States. But United Nations policing concentrates its efforts disproportionately on day-to- day security in fragile States, at the expense of capacity- building elsewhere.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7808 (2016) · source
“The resolution has regional implications, and as penholder we took extensive steps to engage with all of the relevant regional stakeholders so that we could balance the views of the Council and of the region. It is therefore particularly disappointing that some Council members felt that they could not support it, despite those extensive efforts.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7807 (2016) · source
“Some Council members have questioned the lack of movement by the Council on sanctions on Eritrea. In the resolution, we have recognized the positive developments. We have welcomed the release in March of four Djiboutian prisoners of war who had been held since 2008. We have recognized the lack of evidence of Eritrean support for Al-Shabaab, and we have expressed an intention to review the measures on Eritrea in six months' time. But without the cooperation of Eritrea, in compliance with the resolutions of the Council, our hands are tied. Council members that regret the lack of movement on this sanctions regime should look to only one place - Eritrea.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7807 (2016) · source
“One of the key priorities for the new Government will be a political agreement on security sector reform that is affordable, accountable, sustainable and acceptable to federal and regional authorities in Somalia. Turning to Eritrea, the resolution could have looked very different if the Government of Eritrea had wanted it to, but the continuing lack of cooperation from Eritrea with the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea and the Council left us with no choice. We could not welcome a visit as there has been no invitation. We could not welcome progress because nothing has changed. So we urge Eritrea to take steps to engage constructively and in a sustained manner with the Monitoring Group, as mandated by the Council. We cannot be in the same position next year.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7807 (2016) · source
“The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2317 (2016). This sanctions regime continues to play a vital role in promoting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. In Somalia, it is preventing the flow of illicit arms and cutting off AI-Shabaab's funding. It is preserving natural resources to the benefit of all Somalis and for their economic empowerment, and it is helping to provide better weapons and ammunition management for the Somali security forces. But renewing the resolution today is just one part of our support to Somalia. A timely and credible electoral process this month is critical to Somalia's future, and we look forward to continuing support of the incoming Federal Government of Somalia over the coming months.”
2016-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7807 (2016) · source
“Preventing violent extremism in the first place will help deal with the causes. The United Kingdom strongly supports the Secretary-General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, and we need to consider what more peacekeeping can do to support that agenda while integrating the work of the relevant United Nations bodies and, again, remembering the importance of capacity-building and working with host Governments to tackle extremism and terrorism through security-sector reform, judicial reform and strengthened rule of law. Taken together, all those elements can help enable peacekeeping to rise to the challenge of dealing with asymmetrical threats.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“That means training to a consistent standard and, in the context ofthis debate, emphasizing the force-protection aspects of working in high-threat environments. It should also be clear right from the start what is expected of peacekeepers when they deploy to an environment. As the Council, we need to get better at engaging troop- and police-contributing countries and, in turn, they need to come ready to share their experience and knowledge. Finally, there is perhaps a fourth "P" relevant to today's debate - the one that the Deputy Secretary- General reminded us of: preventing violent extremism. No matter how well trained and equipped peacekeepers may be to cope in high-threat environments, their preparation will help deal only with the symptoms of violent extremism.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“Secondly, on pledges, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is leading work through its strategic force-generation and capabilities planning cell and the peacekeeping capability readiness system, which the United Kingdom supports, to increase the pool of troops and police who are ready to deploy. Capability gaps exist, and we need to fill them quickly. We also need to get better at matching the experience of troop-contributing countries with the areas where they are deployed. The United Kingdom has offered its engineering expertise where it is needed in South Sudan and Somalia, and our medical expertise with the forthcoming deployment of a field hospital in South Sudan. The third "P" is performance. Peacekeepers must arrive properly trained and equipped to carry out their mandated tasks.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“With greater use of intelligence and threat assessments and scenario-planning, peacekeeping missions will be better prepared before they deploy and will have systems in place to anticipate and react at the operational and tactical levels once peacekeepers are on the ground. Such enhanced planning also needs to take account of parallel forces, where they exist. As I have said, United Nations peacekeeping missions should not themselves be mandated to conduct counter- terrorism operations directly. But they need to be ready to work alongside others more suited to address those threats directly.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“We need to ensure that peacekeeping operations have enough capability in each of those areas to operate effectively in high- threat environments and to do what they can to support broader capacity-building efforts in countering violent extremism and terrorism. The framework that we call the three "PS" - planning, pledges and performance - which was discussed at the London peacekeeping defence ministerial meeting in September, provides a good framework for addressing those points. Turning to the first "P", in challenging environments strengthened and coherent planning is crucial. The whole United Nations system needs to come together so that we have effective horizon-scanning and better conflict analysis.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“The United Kingdom agrees with the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations that United Nations peacekeeping operations are not suited to engage directly in military counter-terrorism operations. But they do operate in environments where asymmetric threats are high, so we cannot turn away from those high-threat environments. All too often, in fact, they are where the United Nations is most needed. The issue at hand is how we operate safely and effectively in such environments - how we get better at understanding and predicting the threats and how we get better at mitigating those threats. The High-level Panel concluded that peacekeeping missions lacked the specific equipment, intelligence, logistics, capabilities and specialized military preparation required to engage in military counter- terrorism operations.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“I wish to thank you, Mr. Foreign Minister, for having convened this important debate. In the light of the time, I am shortening my statement. I express my thanks to the Deputy Secretary- General and the other briefers, and I pay tribute to all United Nations peacekeepers, who do such Vital work in increasingly difficult circumstances. Since the United Nations first invented peacekeeping, the nature of conflicts has changed, and with that change has come a dramatic change to the risks that peacekeepers face. The threats that they now face now are more complex and more lethal, ranging from sophisticated spoilers who use terrorist tactics to armed groups pursuing criminal objectives.”
2016-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7802 (2016) · source
“That is why much work has been done, led by Spain and others, on strengthening our work under resolution 1540 (2004). What I do not think we should agree to is any distracting of the JIM. away from its central mandate, which is to focus on the situation in Syria. Yes, the countries neighbouring Syria should cooperate with it - all countries should - but the JIM's mandate concerns attacks that have happened in Syria, whether perpetrated by the Syrian regime or Da'esh, and that should continue. There is a big difference between Syria, on the one hand, and countries such as Iraq and Turkey, on the other. It is only Syria that has used chemical weapons against its own people.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“But in the light of the continuing use of chemical weapons, it is imperative that we retain the JIM, both to act as some sort of deterrent and to determine who is responsible for such attacks. It is simply not good enough to determine whether chemical-weapon attacks have occurred without knowing who was responsible. We need to know who was responsible in order to bring them to justice. As I have said on many previous occasions, there must be accountability for every single person involved in any use of chemical weapons, in Syria or indeed anywhere else. I agree with Russia that we should improve the JIM and refrain from politicizing it, and that action should be taken, including against any use of chemical weapons by non-State actors.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“and why its work remains as important now as it was more than a year ago, when we adopted its first mandate to fill the gap in the international architecture for attributing responsibility for the use of chemical weapons that had been proven by the OPCW. Thanks to the JIM's hard work, we know without doubt who is responsible for killing and maiming civilians in Syria with chemical weapons. It has now been conclusively demonstrated that both the Al-Assad regime and Da'esh have used chemical weapons against civilians in Syria. Those weapons continue to be used in flagrant violation of international norms and laws, and at complete odds with basic human decency. Such barbaric weapons had no place on the battlefield 100 years ago, never mind today.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“The United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption today of resolution 2314 (2016). Its short-term extension of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons- United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) was needed to allow additional time for the Council to continue its consultations on a full renewal of the JIM's mandate for another year. The continuing need for the JIM. is painfully clear. The pattern of chemical attacks in Syria continues. The Fact-Finding Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is currently investigating at least four cases that have arisen since August. The OPCW will not itself be able to identify the perpetrators of those attacks. Both the Syrian Government and Da'esh have been blamed, and that is precisely why we first created the JIM.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“We take note of his requests just now for full Security Council support, and, as penholder on this issue, we will continue to work on a draft Security Council resolution calling on all parties to do four things: first, return to an immediate cessation of hostilities; secondly, return to negotiations on the basis of the road map; thirdly, bring about accountability for alleged breaches ofinternational humanitarian law; and, fourthly, allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. We pledge to continue working with our partners on this resolution in support of the Special Envoy and all his efforts on the road map and on the cessation of hostilities, and, ultimately, on bringing peace to Yemen.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“We are disappointed at the continuing failure of the Houthis and Saleh to engage on the Sana'a security plan, in defiance of resolution 2216 (2015), and by President Hadi's public rejection of the road map. We hope that he will now receive it and engage on it in good faith. In fact, we call on all parties to engage in good faith with the Special Envoy and to return to negotiations on the basis ofthe road map and in a spirit of compromise. As they do so, the Special Envoy will have the full support of the United Kingdom for his efforts to bring the parties together.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“It counts for very little, in fact, when aid cannot get through. So let us call on the parties to take every step possible to improve humanitarian access, so that we can help alleviate the suffering of the millions in need. Ultimately, for all of this - the cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian access - to be sustainable, we need the stability that comes only from a political process, and that requires a compromise between the parties. We therefore welcome Ismail's presentation of the road map to the Yemeni parties; it sets out how that compromise can be achieved, it says clearly the security and political steps that the parties must take to reach a peaceful resolution. While the path ahead on the political track has become clearer, it is still a path that has yet to be followed fully.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“Despite this failure, the United Kingdom is clear that there must be accountability for that attack. The release of an initial investigation by the coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team is a positive step in that direction. Stopping the violence is just the first step, and even that will not be enough to help the millions of people in need of assistance in Yemen. Regardless of progress on the ceasefire, we also need to make concerted strides on improving the humanitarian situation. In the General Assembly last month, the United Kingdom hosted an event that raised $100 million for Yemen; half of that money came from United Kingdom itself. The international community and United Nations agencies also committed to strengthening their response. But money alone is never enough.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“Only last week, a long-range missile was fired from Sa'dah into Saudi Arabia, reportedly at the King Abdulaziz international airport, north of Jeddah. This attack by the Houthi and Saleh loyallists was provocative and unacceptable. All sides need to show restraint. We were shocked and appalled by the terrible loss of life in the airstrikes on the funeral hall in Sana'a earlier this month. We immediately underlined our deep concerns at the ministerial level with the Saudi Government. More than 140 people died that day. Elbio has just spoken very powerfully about it, and I share his disappointment and his regret at the fact that the Security Council was unable to agree on the draft press statement that the United Kingdom had circulated, which would have strongly condemned the attack.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“There needs to be an enduring, meaningful cessation of hostilities. I was proud of the United Kingdom's efforts to help secure a ceasefire early this month, but it is clear that three days is simply not enough. We therefore call on the parties to renew their commitment and implement an immediate, sustainable cease-fire. In support of that goal, we also need to make sure that the De-escalation and Coordination Committee has the support, training and resources that it needs. The Committee is a crucial mechanism for building trust and addressing violations. If the Yemeni parties are serious about peace, they should engage with it fully. Sadly, any signs of de-escalation have been elusive of late.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“I wish to thank Ismail, Stephen and Muhannad for their very powerful briefings. They all are doing vital work on this issue, and, as Security Council penholder on Yemen, I want to reiterate at this meeting today our appreciation for their tireless efforts. As they all have highlighted, the sheer scale of the crisis facing the people of Yemen means that there can be no letup in our efforts. It is a political crisis, a humanitarian crisis, a crisis where the violence simply will not end. As a result, civilians continue to suffer, with more than 14 million people now food- insecure, and more than 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. That is the tragic cost of the ongoing conflict in Yemen. In response, we all know what needs to happen. First, the violence must stop.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7797 (2016) · source
“Given the pressure that you are under to defend the indefensible, Sir, your fantasy world has spread from Syria to Yemen. Ijust wanted to set the record straight and say that the United Kingdom did circulate a draft Security Council statement on Yemen, but its content was to strongly condemned the attack on the funeral. There was only one Security Council delegation that did not wish to support the statement, and that country was Russia.”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“Why are bunker-buster bombs, which are designed to take out more than very precise targets, being used? That is an indefensible military strategy in eastern Aleppo. How many of the people in that school in Idlib today were really terrorists? I suspect that the answer is zero.”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“It is not possible to do that, and we should not even want to try. Finally, the one point on which I do agree with Vitaly concerns fighting terrorism. I believe that we all agree on that. We all want to see terrorism defeated in Syria and everywhere else. That is not what divides us, but that is not the real issue. In our view, there are approximately 200 terrorists from Al-Nusrah in eastern Aleppo. Russia has a slightly different view and says that they number approximately 1,000. Let us take Russia's number of 1,000. That is still only one-hundredth the number of children in eastern Aleppo. There are 100,000 children in eastern Aleppo. If the genuine target of the military action is the 1,000 terrorists, why are the military bombs being used so indiscriminately?”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“What should we, the Security Council, do about it? I agree very much with almost everything the representative of New Zealand said. Like Gerard, I am appalled that Russia will not step back. I am appalled that Russia used the right to veto a perfectly reasonable and moderate draft resolution. I disagree with Gerard on the point that there is some sort of sense of symmetry between those who are blocking for one reason and those who are blocking for another. There is no symmetry between those of us who called for an end to the bombing and those who say that the bombing must continue. The United Kingdom will support any effort to stop the bombing and any draft resolution that is clear enough that step one has got to be an end to the bombing. We should not try to find the midpoint between the position of stopping and not stopping the bombing.”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“Those are three facts. Everything else that Stephen said aligns with my information and concerns facts, but they are not facts that Russia likes. It is depressing to see the level to which Russia is descending to defend the indefensible. What needs to happen now to allow humanitarian access? Three things need to happen. Step one requires immediately stopping the bombing - as Stephen mentioned - everywhere: in Idlib, eastern Aleppo and across Syria. Step two requires Russia to use its influence with the Syrian regime so that it cooperates with all those aid agencies seeking to bring aid into Syria. Step three requires allowing genuine, meaningful humanitarian pauses that are long enough and coordinated with the United Nations so that aid can go in and people requiring medical evacuation can get out.”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“You said, Sir, that the United Nations should stick to facts. Today, Stephen O'Brien stuck religiously to facts. The problem for you, Mr. President, is that they are not facts that you like. Let me just repeat three of the facts that I wrote down from Stephen's statement. They are all facts, reality and in stark contrast to the absurd and surreal fantasy theatre that we are hearing from Russia. The first fact is that Aleppo has become a kill zone, with 400 people - too many of whom were children - who have been killed since Stephen's latest briefing to the Council (see S/PV.7780). The second fact is that Syrian and Russian forces have not protected medical facilities and have, indeed, deliberately attacked hospitals. The third fact concerns the infamous leaflet, stating "This is your last hope; you will be annihilated".”
2016-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7795 (2016) · source
“We did not choose a woman to be the next Secretary- General, but in Antonio Guterres we have chosen a true champion of gender parity, and in appointing a gender-balanced transition team, he is already off to a good start. We look to him to continue that work when he begins in earnest, and to help to make the second anniversary of resolution 2242 (2015) an even greaters success.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“That includes more support for the Global Acceleration Instrument for Women and Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (GAI), and for UN-Women and civil society. It means making our development spending gender- sensitive, something that the United Kingdom continually strives for. And in the most basic terms, it means increasing our spending on projects related to women and peace and security. The United Kingdom has increased its spending by more than 50 per cent, to $10 million in this financial year, including $1 million for the GAI, and I hope others will do the same. But in conclusion, we need something more than money. We need leaders - leaders like Rita Lopidia.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source