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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“More than 60 countries signed our ambitious communique, and we now need to deliver on it, doubling the number of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations by 2020, increasing the number of women in missions as a whole and tackling every single allegation of sexual exploitation and abuse until such horrific practices end. Our efforts should not stop at peacekeeping. The United Kingdom is updating the training that our armed forces receive so that everyone understands the agenda on women and peace and security and knows how to prevent sexual violence in conflict. And we will be doing the same for the troops we train from other countries, too. Finally, an increase in our ambitions for women and peace and security should be matched by an increase in the financing underpinning it.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“The negotiations included a gender subcommission. Three delegations of women's organizations held talks with the negotiating team in Havana. Those are not token gestures. They are meaningful steps towards bringing a sustainable end to more than 50 years of war, and I am proud of the diplomatic and financial support from the United Kingdom that has helped to make that happen. Secondly, however, we must match those steps at the negotiating table in United Nations peacekeeping missions and our own militaries. Women have as much ofa role to play in keeping the peace as in negotiating it. That is why the United Nations peacekeeping defence ministerial meeting, held in London last month, included such a strong focus on women and peace and security, as Siti reminded us earlier.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“As the Secretary- General and Samantha reminded us, when women are at the table the chances of peace increase by 20 to 35 per cent. And yet less than one in ten negotiators is a woman. In Yemen, United Kingdom support has enabled the United Nations Special Envoy to employ an expert on women's political participation. It has enabled a UN-Women project to boost the influence of Yemeni women in the peace process. And in Syria, we have worked hard to ensure that women's views are heard, including through support for the Women's Advisory Board and the Women's Consultative Committee that Carolyn rightly mentioned. Some would say that this counts for very little when the bombs still fall - that these are just token gestures. But as many of my colleagues have done, let us look at Colombia. The guns have fallen silent.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“We need only look at the gender balance of the Council. And yet, in this very Chamber a year ago, we all committed to doing something about it - to take the words of resolution 2242 (2015), which I was proud to draft with Roman, and turn them into something meaningful, something real. We have had a year - a year to increase the effective participation of women in peace processes; a year to increase women's roles in the military and peacekeeping; a year to increase the finance to support all this work and more. So how have we got on? Well, let me take those three points - participation, peacekeeping and money - in turn. On the first, over the past year the United Kingdom has been pushing to get women a seat at the negotiating table, and not just because it is the right thing to do. We are doing so because it works.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“Talking of civil society, I want to pick up one of Rita's points and assure her that the United Kingdom will invite civil society to brief in country-specific meetings under our presidency in March, and I call on other presidencies to do the same. More broadly, it is not enough to support the women and peace and security agenda today, one day a year. Words spoken in this Chamber are not enough. Commitment means action every day throughout the year in mandate renewals and other negotiations, here and in capitals. And sadly, the reality at the moment is that women and girls continue to be affected inordinately by conflict and insecurity in Syria, in South Sudan and in so many other places. And to compound the injustice, while women's lives are on the line, their voices are seldom heard in the pursuit ofpeace.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“As the penholder on women and peace and security, I want first to welcome all of our numerous guests today and to thank the Secretary-General and Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka for their briefings and all the work they do on this agenda. I also want to pay tribute to Rita Lopidia for her briefing. Sha has given us a valuable insight into what "women and peace and security" really means on the ground in South Sudan. I commend the work that she and others like her are doing to turn the words "peace" and "security" into a reality. I also want to welcome the fact that Russia, in organizing this debate, has accepted the importance both of the women and peace and security agenda and of the role of civil society on this and, I hope, on other issues.”
2016-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7793 (2016) · source
“The United Nations has repeatedly called for at least 48 hours to provide the most basic aid, and even that would not be enough time to address meaningfully the suffering in Aleppo. Sustained access on the basis ofa full cessation of hostilities is required. It is within Russia's gift to make that happen. It is not too late. The Security Council must unite to end the war 4 unite around a policy to stop the aerial bombardment and shelling of eastern Aleppo immediately and for a lot longer than eight hours. It must do so indefinitely. After five years of bloody conflict - after the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians 4 we can do better, and those 100,000 children in Aleppo deserve better.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“They have chosen to continue to send their jets over the homes of these children, bringing with them havoc and destruction. Russia has chosen to back a regime that employs the medieval tactics of siege and starvation in the pursuit of military victory. What is their rationale for being on the wrong side of history? The excuse - and that is exactly what it is, an excuse - is that the terrorists must be defeated. Of course the terrorists must be defeated. We all agree with that, but it does not justify bombing Aleppo until there is nothing left to bomb. After its veto, Russia's proposed solution to regain some goodwill is an eight-hour pause, uncoordinated with anyone else. That is wholly inadequate.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“And, finally, we must see a return to the negotiating table, to end this conflict once and for all. I would like to turn our attention to the worst single issue facing the Middle East region - indeed, possibly the whole world 4 Syria. The suffering of the people of Aleppo has become a weekly focus for the Council. Veto after veto prevent Security Council unity and prevent us from taking action. But we must press forward. There are 100,000 reasons for us to do so - 100,000 children under siege; 100,000 children struggling without food or medical provisions; 100,000 children living in the wreckage of eastern Aleppo. These children hold no responsibility for the events that have led to their life in a war zone, and yet the Syrian regime and Russia have consistently chosen to put them at risk.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“There is a jobs crisis; unemployment rates are among the highest in the world. And we are on the brink of an even more disturbing crisis: a possible return to war. Anyone sleep-walking into that needs to wake up. The continuing rocket attacks launched by Hamas, and subsequent Israeli responses, demonstrate just how real the risk is. My third point is that this is not inevitable. Health facilities and schools have been rebuilt in Gaza. Efforts have been made, by both sides, to improve energy supplies for the Palestinian people. Leaders on both sides must seize whatever momentum those small positive developments provide to make strides and progress in other areas. We need to see elections in Gaza and the West Bank. We need to see an end to the hateful rhetoric.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“With demolition orders issued against the Palestinian village of Susiya and the Kahn Al-Ahmar school, east of Jerusalem, I fear we have not seen the end of this disturbing trend. Livelihoods are on the line just when Israel needs to be building confidence between communities, not demolishing the bedrock on which they are built. The United Kingdom once again urges Israel to cease its systematic policy of settlement expansion, demolition of Palestinian structures and limits on Palestinian development. Secondly, we are extremely worried, as is Nickolay, about the dire situation in Gaza. It is there where the ramifications of 50 years of strain are most visible. There is a water crisis; far from drinking quality, 90 per cent of the water is not even fit for agricultural use.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“As we saw in the Arria Formula meeting last week, Israel has pushed forward plans for more than 1,500 settlement units, and it continues to demolish Palestinian structures. That runs in direct opposition to Quartet recommendations to cease the policy of systematic settlement expansion and to remove blocks on Palestinian development. This year, as Stephen said, we have seen 958 structures levelled. But they are not just structures, they are homes, shops and schools. This is all part of an Israeli policy that has left 1,000 people displaced, including 690 children. That is 690 members of a generation who currently seem destined to inherit a situation no closer to peace than their parents.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“Ijoin others in thanking our briefers, Nickolay Mladenov and Stephen O'Brien. I thought it was particularly interesting to hear the considered views of colleagues coming to the end of their two years as non-permanent members of the Security Council. When we last met here in July (see S/PV.7736), we discussed the Quartet report (S/2016/595, annex). It set out worrying trends for the Israel-Palestine issue, trends that, as the report itself made clear, are eroding the viability of the two-State solution. Since our last discussion there has been an acceleration of some of those trends in the wrong direction, and so we are further still from the ever-elusive two-State solution. I see three areas of particular concern. The first is settlements.”
2016-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7792 (2016) · source
“The United Kingdom stands ready to help on those fronts, but we do not believe that a peacekeeping mission is the best vehicle any longer for responding to those needs. We therefore look forward to the results of the forthcoming strategic assessment mission, and welcome the continuing preparatory work on a joint transition plan aimed at consolidating Haiti's success. We must ensure that the Mission quickly hands over responsibilities where other actors on the ground, including the United Nations country team, have a comparative advantage in conducting them.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“Getting the Haitian National Police to a stage where they can stand on their own feet, without assistance, is paramount. Haiti is at a turning point on the path towards the consolidation of stability and democracy, and although significant challenges remain, we must ensure that the presence and future role of the United Nations in Haiti is adapted to best suit the conditions there. Recent events have demonstrated Haiti's vulnerability to natural disasters and the fragility of gains. Its significant needs are clear - long-term development assistance, resilient infrastructure, support in establishing durable and diverse livelihoods and ongoing backing for the creation of a professional and effective police force.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“The recent events highlight the continued relevance of the full range of the work of the United Nations in Haiti, and the importance ofdeciding the role that we the Council should play in it. I join the Secretary-General in thanking everyone involved in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the United Nations country team for their ongoing commitment to Haiti. With hundreds of lives lost and images of yet another round of devastation dealt to Haiti, it would be easy to lose sight of the achievements that the country has made in recent years. The security situation, although fragile, remains stable, and the performance of the Haitian National Police continues to improve. We must now ensure that progress is consolidated and continues to evolve.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“Democracy is an essential part of Haiti's path forward, but speedy elections cannot come at the expense of those who desperately need to rebuild. As a result of the hurricane, the decision to postpone the elections is unfortunate but understandable in the highly unusual circumstances. Considering the loss of life, displacement of people and significant disruption of infrastructure, we support the decision, which will ensure that the authorities can focus fully on the recovery effort. We urge the Haitian authorities to ensure that as soon as it is feasible for voters in all parts of the country to be able to participate they move towards rescheduling the elections.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“I am grateful to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for her briefing. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti and the region affected by Hurricane Matthew. Along with many partners in Haiti, the United Kingdom is working to establish the extent of the damage and the most pressing humanitarian needs. We are stepping up to support those affected. We have already sent experts and relief suppliers to the region and have allocated Â£5 million to Haiti. We would like to express our solidarity with those hit by the devastating hurricane. The people of Haiti are unfortunately no strangers to the destructive effects of natural disasters. They have shown their resilience as a country time and again, and I hope that the months and years ahead will see homes rebuilt and livelihoods restored.”
2016-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7789 (2016) · source
“The lonely veto and four votes in favour of your draft resolution, Sir, were a double humiliation. This text was a cynical attempt to divert attention from Russia's exercise of the veto today that once again denied any hope to the people of Aleppo. It failed because it failed to demand an immediate end to the aerial bombardment of Aleppo. It is a sham, just as Russia's hollow commitment to a political process in Syria is a sham. The indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Aleppo is sickening and barbaric. Please stop now.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“We also see every day that obligation after obligation, set by resolution after resolution of the Security Council, are being flouted. We need Council unity to end this war, and that unity will only come when Russia changes its policy and stops the aerial bombardment. This has been a strong week for Council unity, and yet we have ended on sadly familiar ground. We, the whole Council, stood with you, Mr. President, on Wednesday, as you announced the next Secretary- General. Thanks to your actions today, Sir, Antonio Guterres' job will be even harder. And worse still, thanks to your actions today, Syrians will continue to lose their lives in Aleppo and beyond to Russian and Syrian bombing. Please stop now.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“There can be no military justification for aerial attacks that indiscriminately hit civilians and their homes and their hospitals. The text called for full and unhindered humanitarian access. It is despicable that the regime continues to refuse access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas. It is despicable that the violence is so extreme that the safety even of humanitarian convoys cannot be assured, as seen through the strike on a United Nations aid convoy last month, for which the evidence is clear that Russia was responsible. Further, this text called for the full implementation of resolution 2268 (2016) and the resumption of the cessation of hostilities. We see every day in Aleppo that there simply can be no military victory in this conflict. There can only be losers.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“And it is Syrian civilians who continue to bear the brunt of that cruelty and Russia's complicity. Civilians, medics, White Helmets are under direct attack from barrel bombs, cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, and that is even before we mention the continued barbaric use of chemical weapons by the regime. I echo the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who described the destruction of Aleppo as the absolute contempt for the human spirit and for the dignity of the human being. The Security Council cannot stand by while such misery is meted out on the people of Aleppo, and yet, thanks to you, Mr. President, that is exactly what we are doing. This text that you vetoed, Sir, was not unreasonable. It called for sensible, overdue steps that would have saved lives, starting with the complete end of the bombardment of Aleppo.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“One hundred thousand of them are children. The current tactics being used in Aleppo under the alibi of countering terrorism are turning a humanitarian crisis into a catastrophe, and your veto today, Mr. President, has only confirmed what we have known for a long time. Russia's actions in recent weeks have exposed just how hollow its commitment to the political process is. Today we have seen that commitment for what it really is - a sham. Instead of investing energy in peace and diplomacy, Russia has supported, facilitated and cooperated with the Syrian regime in order to retake and destroy areas standing against Al-Assad, literally killing off those who want a moderate, peaceful and pluralistic future, free from both the barbarism of Al-Assad and the horrors inflicted by Da'esh and other terrorists in Syria.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“I normally begin my statements in the Council with the words "Thank you, Mr. President". I cannot do that today, because today we have seen the fifth veto of a vote on Syria in five years from you, Mr. President - a veto that has once again stopped the Council from creating the unity needed to give the people of Syria any hope of respite from their suffering; a veto that has once again denigrated the credibility of the Security Council and respect for it in the eyes of the world; a veto that is a cynical abuse of the privileges and responsibilities of permanent membership. I simply cannot thank you for it. Nor can the thousands on thousands of innocent men, women and children trapped in Aleppo. Tonight they will endure another night of fear and pain, and another night of wondering whether they will live to see the morning.”
2016-10-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7785 (2016) · source
“All States have the right to control their own borders in line with international law, but also in line with the obligation to accept the return of their nationals. We therefore need a comprehensive approach to the mass movement of people. Resolution 2312 (2016) is one part of that effort and an important part of the wider solution to the crisis.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“Migrants encountered as part of the Operation will be taken to Europe as part of existing procedures. The European Union will do all that it can to protect the rights of those who need that protection. Action against smugglers on the high seas is a key part, but only part, of the solution to addressing the mass movement ofpeople. We need to do more to tackle the root causes, including poverty, conflict and human rights violations and abuses. We must also do more to support countries that are hosting refugees from neighbouring countries and help reduce the secondary movements, which pose so many dangers for migrants and refugees. While we recognize the benefits of migration to source and destination countries, as well as to the migrants themselves, the process must be managed.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“We authorized all European Union member States contributing to the Operation to interdict these gangsters and their boats on the high seas. Since that adoption, the brave men and women of Operation SOPHIA have directly apprehended 90 suspected smugglers and have put over 300 smuggling vessels beyond use. In doing so, we have sent a clear signal that smugglers can no longer operate with impunity in international waters. The European Union's efforts have also saved lives - over 26,000 are estimated to have been rescued. But the smuggling networks have not been defeated. Therefore, through this renewal today, let us recommit our support to Operation SOPHIA as it continues its vital work to arrest smugglers and seize their boats. And let us be clear in this open meeting that Operation SOPHIA is only targeting smugglers and empty boats.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2312 (2016), which renews the mandate of the European Union's Operation SOPHIA for an additional 12 months. I am proud of the United Kingdom's role as penholder, and I am grateful to those Security Council delegations that supported the resolution today. It is a vital renewal. The migration crisis remains one of our greatest shared challenges. Thousands have perished crossing the Mediterranean and thousands more continue to risk their lives to find a safer future. So many, perhaps all ofthem, have been exploited - by gangs, at the darkest points in their lives, with no regard for their safety, with no respect for anything other than profit. In October last year, we took a stand against these traffickers.”
2016-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7783 (2016) · source
“So the Council must now do more than demand or urge; we must now decide. What can we do to enforce an immediate end to the bombardment of Aleppo and other civilian areas in Syria? We must decide what we can do now to end the sieges and the chokehold that is preventing aid getting in. And in doing so, we must speak loudly and clearly that there will be accountability for these crimes and so many more, including the barbaric, despicable use of chemical weapons by the regime against its own people. That is the only way to stop the suffering, and it is the only way for Russia to atone for its deplorable actions in Syria.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Because the Syrian people will never forget the death and destruction that the sectarian Al-Assad regime has unleashed upon them, nor will they forget that Russia aided and abetted that ruthless sectarian dictator in waging war against his own people. They also will not forget that the international community, and the Security Council in particular, failed to stop the bombing, failed to stop the chlorine and failed to stop the starvation. So let us be clear. It is Russia's actions in Syria and in the Council that have caused that failure; it is Russia's actions that have prolonged the conflict and prolonged the suffering. It is Russia's four vetoes in the past five years that have prevented Council unity and brought shame on us all, and brought its diplomacy into disrepute.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“That is not the question. But Russia and the regime are not bombing terrorists; they are bombing all forms of opposition and killing hundreds every month. They collaborate with sectarian Shia militias and with Hizbullah - a terrorist organisation in the eyes of many members of the Council and the Arab League - to inflict their own terror on Syria's civilian population. Let us not forget that Al-Assad's regime, supported by Russia, has killed far more civilians in Syria than Da'esh and Al-Nusra put together. So every time we rightly condemn Da'esh and Al-Nusra terrorism in Syria, let us also condemn the absolute terror being inflicted on the Syrian people by the Al-Assad regime and by Russia as they continue to bomb Syrian civilians day and night.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Russia needs to be salvaging, not stymieing efforts to restore the cessation of hostilities. Russia needs to be enabling, not attacking unfettered humanitarian assistance. And ultimately, Russia should be creating, not destroying the conditions necessary for the resumption of political talks. If it does not take these steps and more, Russia will only confirm its status as an international pariah. But in truth, as the horrific, unconscionable attack on the humanitarian convoy last week painfully illustrated, Russia simply has no credibility left on these issues. Now Russia will no doubt try to deflect attention away from the crimes it is committing in Syria by blaming the opposition and talking a great deal about the threat from terrorism. Everyone in this Chamber agrees that Da'esh and Al-Nusra are terrorists and must be defeated.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“Yet only four days ago (see S/PV.7774), we heard Foreign Minister Lavrov speak right here of Russia's commitment to a political, peaceful solution, and of Russia's commitment to the cessation of hostilities. Today, that commitment resembles much of Syria - broken and lifeless. The true meaning of that commitment can be seen on the ashen faces of the victims of Aleppo; on the faces of a mother clutching her child, crushed beneath the rubble; on the faces of the White Helmets and medics, injured or killed as they try desperately to save lives; and on the faces of every single man, woman and child who still calls Aleppo home. As the Secretary-General has said, these are dark days for the protection of civilians. These devastating events underscore what we have known for so long.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“But this weekend, the regime and Russia have instead plunged to new depths and unleashed a new hell on Aleppo. Bunker-busting bombs, more suited to destroying military installations, are now destroying homes, decimating bomb shelters, and crippling, maiming and killing dozens, ifnot hundreds. Incendiary munitions, indiscriminate in their reach, are being dropped onto civilian areas so that, yet again, Aleppo is burning. And to cap it all, water supplies so vital to millions are now being targeted, depriving water to those most in need. In short, it is difficult to deny that Russia is partnering with the Syrian regime to carry out war crimes.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for convening this emergency meeting today at the request of the United Kingdom, the United States and France. Ijoin others in thanking Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura for his briefing and for his relentless stamina. The Al-Assad regime and Russia are reducing Aleppo to rubble. Aleppo's inhabitants are ordinary Syrians who have suffered so much for so long. They are now facing an unprecedented, unrelenting onslaught of cruelty, and it is increasingly clear that it is an onslaught beyond the capabilities of the Syrian air force alone.After five years of conflict, one might think that the regime has had its fill of barbarity and that its sick blood lust against its own people has finally run its course.”
2016-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7777 (2016) · source
“For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of Syrians killed in the conflict, for the millions upon millions displaced, that simply cannot come to pass.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“The level of violence has dropped in recent days, and I hope that will continue and bring with it full humanitarian access and, eventually, an environment that will enable talks to resume between the parties. But we have been here before. In the past, the violence has lessened only to rise to new levels of barbarity. We cannot afford to repeat history. So let us all urge the parties to honour their commitments, and let us specifically call on Russia to use its influence to restrain Al-Assad. That will be no simple feat. Earlier this week, Al-Assad said that it was his objective to regain the entire country by force, something that he is unable to do alone and that would only prolong the conflict for many years to come.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“Donors must honour all commitments that are still outstanding from the Cairo conference. The United Kingdom remains committed to doing so and to reaching those in need. I would like to once again thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and reaffirm our full and continued support for the work of Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process. We look forward to hearing from him in our closed consultations later this morning. Since this is an open meeting, before I conclude I would like to take this opportunity to publicly welcome the announcement on Friday by the United States and Russia that they would be renewing the cessation of hostilities in Syria. That is a long-awaited positive step.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“And the risk of a return to conflict hangs heavy over Gaza, as shown by the rocket attacks and Israeli response last month. Militant groups in Gaza must permanently cease rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. The United Kingdom welcomes the steps taken by the Palestinian Authority and Israel to improve the energy, gas, electricity and water situation in Gaza. These are significant advances that will improve conditions on the ground, and it is critical that these measures are implemented quickly, given the severity of the situation. We are also encouraged that education and health facilities have largely been rebuilt, even though reconstruction is far from complete. Efforts now need to focus on completing house-building and reviving the productive sectors, stimulating exports and creating jobs. We too have a role to play.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“The Quartet report also set out the damaging effect of incitement and violence. We deplore incitement on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including any comments that could stir up hatred and prejudice. Although levels of violence have dropped in recent months, we continue to call on the parties to do all they can to de-escalate tensions and prevent incitement. We also continue to support the revival of the Trilateral Commission on Incitement to address all allegations of incitement on both sides. Turning to Gaza, we remain extremely worried about the ongoing dire situation there. It is estimated that 90 per cent ofGaza's water is not fit for consumption or even for agricultural use. Gaza continues to have the highest unemployment in the world.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“As the United Kingdom Minister for the Middle East and Africa, Tobias Ellwood, made clear earlier this month, these policies fundamentally call into question Israel's commitment to the two-State solution. The demolition orders issued against the Palestinian village of Sussia and Khan Al-Ahmar school in the east of Jerusalem are particularly concerning. Such steps would have a terrible human impact on the inhabitants of Sussia and the children of Khan Al-Ahmar. What hope is there for the two-State solution when communities are simply removed from the map and when futures are literally bulldozed to the ground? So once again I hope we can all urge Israel to cease its systematic policy of settlement expansion, demolition of Palestinian structures and limits on Palestinian development.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“I join others in welcoming today's meeting and the briefing from the Secretary-General. Since the Quartet's report (S/2016/595, annex) issued in July, we have seen a worrying acceleration of some Israeli policies in the West Bank that are, as the report makes clear, eroding the viability of the two- State solution. Far from stopping settlement expansion, as the Quartet recommended, we have seen Israel push forward plans for over 1,500 settlement units as well as the continued demolition of Palestinian structures. The numbers speak for themselves - over 800 structures destroyed this year, over a thousand people displaced, including over 500 children.”
2016-09-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7772 (2016) · source
“We have authorized 450 United Nations observers to be there on the ground, verifying the return of peace after over 50 years of conflict. We have authorized the United Nations mission to contribute, together with the Government of Colombia, towards the camps for the FARC. And we have committed to doing all that in a way that maximizes the number of women in the mission. Resolution 2307 (2016) is just one more milestone in Colombia's long journey towards peace. Outside this Chamber, generations of ordinary Colombians have lived their lives knowing nothing but war, and they now stand on the brink of peace. Next month, the people of Colombia will have a momentous opportunity to choose between a lasting peace or a return to years of conflict and suffering. The choice is in their hands.”
2016-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7768 (2016) · source
“It takes courage to lay aside weapons and accept the protection of a former enemy. It took a bold step - perhaps an unprecedented step - for a Government to put its country on the Council's agenda. In turn, the Council has shown great sensitivity and flexibility in responding quickly to Colombia's request. As the penholder on this issue, I am proud of the role that the United Kingdom has played, both here and in Colombia, in support of the peace agreement, and I pay tribute in particular to Cuba and Norway, as well as Chile and Venezuela, for their sustained support throughout the process. But resolution 2307 (2016) is notjust about tributes; it is also about providing our own support to make sure that this historic agreement turns into a historic peace. Through the resolution, we have finalized the mandate of the United Nations mission.”
2016-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7768 (2016) · source
“On behalf of the United Kingdom, I warmly welcome the unanimous adoption of resolution 2307 (2016) today, and I congratulate the Government of Colombia on the historic peace agreement reached with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) last month. "Historic" is a word that is sometimes overused in this Chamber, and yet today it could not be more fitting. Through this resolution, we have marked history - an agreement that brings to an end over half a century of fighting and that has taken almost four years to negotiate. It is a process that is already bringing the dividends of peace. Just this weekend, we saw more children released into a new life - one without guns and without fear. Both parties have shown great bravery and leadership in giving those children and every other Colombian genuine hope for the future.”
2016-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7768 (2016) · source
“To refuse to go in that direction reminds me of the English King Canute, who tried to hold back the incoming tide. We are not going to do so; we will just look foolish by trying to keep those results private. I would be in favour of more confidentiality on some issues but much more transparency on others in order to maximize the impact of our work.”
2016-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7766 (2016) · source
“Unsurprisingly, the full results were available on Twitter within a few minutes of the polling. I think that we are getting the worst of both worlds. What we should be aiming for is confidentiality as it relates to the candidates. Anything that we talk to them about in the privacy of the Security Council should remain absolutely confidential. But then there are some other issues, including the results, where I feel as though we could afford to be much more transparent without damaging the candidates' dignity in any way. I would favour having another look at what we do with the results of the straw polls, while trying to be more transparent and building up the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly in the meantime.”
2016-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7766 (2016) · source
“What is mean is that by focusing on a deteriorating situation, we should show the world that we are watching and that there is at least something that we can do to try to prevent a bad situation from getting even worse. If we do all of that in private, then we are giving a free pass to those who are trying to prosecute the savage, mindless war - by which I mean the Syrian regime against its own people. Transparency is therefore an important part of our toolkit when it comes to trying to do a betterjob at conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The second, completely different, issue that I want to focus on where there is the same tension between confidentiality and transparency is the selection process for the next Secretary-General. We have now held three straw polls.”
2016-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7766 (2016) · source
“If we take the situation in Aleppo as the most extreme example, where the suffering of the Syrian people is at its most extreme, it is a telling example of a reality that, however bad we think it might be, can always get worse. Our job here is to try to shine a spotlight publicly on the situation there in order to try to bring pressure to bear to encourage those responsible for the situation to reform their ways and to bring peace where there is currently war and tragedy and suffering. Shedding light on issues on our agenda is therefore extremely important, and is the flip side of the coin of being confidential where we need to be confidential. I am not talking about shedding light on an issue in order to shock or horrify people, or to still less to score political points.”
2016-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7766 (2016) · source
“I thought we had a good meeting yesterday on chemical weapons in Syria. But when we look at the five-year history of the conflict, the Council has failed to have any real impact on politically resolving the conflict, and still less in preventing it in the first place. A lot of the effort to try to do that has to take place, inevitably, in private, but there are risks when we do too much in private. Again, I very much agree with what Gerard was saying about confidentiality about things that need to remain confidential - but equally, I think some things can be more transparent. I think we would benefit from more confidentiality on some issues and more transparency on others. Trying to hide the scale and nature of the Syrian conflict from the wider world is not something that benefits conflict prevention or the search for peace.”
2016-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7766 (2016) · source