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

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

“Secondly, the United Kingdom will continue to champion the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty. As the world's first legally binding treaty regulating the international trade in conventional arms, it shows how much we can achieve when we work together, so let us seize the momentum it has created. It is a historic treaty and it has the ability to change the lives of those most affected by the supply of illegal small arms and light weapons. To do so, we should ensure that the core structure and functions of the Treaty are effective and cost- efficient. We look forward to negotiating the rules of procedure for the Treaty, establishing a secretariat and encouraging open and accessible transparency reporting.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“The vast, unsecured arms and ammunition of the Al-Qadhafi era are now fuelling the instability and violence facing the country and the region, and it is this instability that has allowed human traffickers and criminal gangs to thrive and send thousands of migrants to their deaths in the Mediterranean. That is why the United Kingdom has planned to commit over $30 million to assist Libya with arms and ammunition management. We are providing a senior disarmament adviser to work with the United Nations and the Libyans, and we stand ready to increase our efforts to match the scale of the challenge. A political solution remains vital to this effort, and we reiterate our support for Special Envoy Leon. We urge all sides to engage in talks to agree a national unity Government and implement a ceasefire.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“We place a high priority on addressing the threats posed by small arms and light weapons, and believe that there are three key areas where we can contribute. First, we support greater efforts to ensure effective stockpile management, removal and destruction. Proper storage prevents the flow of these weapons into the hands of those who seek to misuse them. It helps curtail an illicit economy where supply feeds demand, and it helps ensure safe storage and removal, preventing incidents like the one in Libya in November 2013, in which over 40 people were killed in an arms depot explosion. Indeed, it is Libya that presents the greatest concern to my Government on the issue of small arms.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“When States fail to control the supply and sale of these weapons, they not only jeopardize the safety and security of innocent people across the world, they also fuel instability and threaten international peace and security. Therefore, the need for collective action is clear. In 2013, the Council spoke on the issue for the first time. Today, we return under the Lithuanian presidency to the issue to reflect on how far we have come in addressing this scourge, and what more needs to be done. The United Kingdom welcomes the draft resolution proposed by the presidency. It aims to strengthen the international community's ability to counter the challenges posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and to build on resolution 2117 (2013). It would help to improve the United Nations work and support the Arms Trade Treaty.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for convening this important open debate on small arms and light weapons and for your leadership on this issue. I welcome the briefings by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid. I also thank Karamoko Diakite, for sharing his personal experiences of the horrific impact that these weapons can have. By the time I finish delivering this statement, six more people will have been killed as a direct result of small arms and light weapons. The human cost of these weapons is astonishing owing to their illicit transfer, destabilizing influence and misuse. Every year, enough ammunition is manufactured to kill every single person in the world twice over. Every year, 8 million new weapons enter into circulation.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“They have not always managed to do so, but they will continue to have our support. This year, Bosnia and Herzegovina's newly elected leaders have a chance to demonstrate to the Council that they can act in their collective national interests and end years of stagnation. We cannot do it for them. Just as they showed at Dayton, nearly 20 years ago, and in signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement seven years ago, they have shown in their commitment to the EU initiative that they can find consensus, they can succeed and deliver real reform, they can set aside their differences for the greater prize of economic growth, stability and prosperity. They owe it to the Bosnian people to seize this opportunity.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“Last month's declaration by the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats on the independence of the Republika Srpska shows that there are those who still relish in division. But their proposed referendum is a clear breach of the Dayton Agreement. The Republika Srpska does not have the right to secede. Borders will not be redrawn. And the EU position is simple and clear: only a united, functioning, effective State of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be offered EU membership, when it meets all the conditions. Let me conclude on my third point. In November we will mark the twentieth anniversary of Dayton. For two decades, it has been up to Bosniab and Herzegovina's political leaders, supported by the international community, to overcome their narrow interests and find common ground.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“Until security and stability is embedded across Bosnia and Herzegovina, we must do all we can to reassure this generation that we mean it when we say "Never again!" The United Kingdom believes that the continued presence of the European Union-led peacekeeping force (EUF OR), with an executive mandate, is the best way to provide that reassurance. We advocate the retention of this Vital asset when its mandate is up for renewal in November. And we also support the continued work of the High Representative and his efforts to fulfil the five objectives and two conditions, which were set back in my time in Sarajevo and still have not been fully met. Together, the international community has a continued role to play to deter those who question Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“The violence and challenges to law and order showed that tensions still lie just below the surface. On occasions tensions have been high this year, and we condemn the unacceptable attack against a police station in Zvornik last month. Although the frequency of such attacks may be low, their effects can be far reaching. Secondly, the Council must continue its support to preserve the security and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the twentieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide this year illustrate that in every generation Bosnians, Bosniaks, Bosnian Croats and Bosnia Serbs have suffered from conflict.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“As the British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina when the Agreement was signed, seven years ago, I am amazed and disappointed that it has not yet come into force. Bosnia and Herzegovina's leaders can now harness momentum to deliver meaningful reform. Their actions need to match their written commitments. Stabilizing and stimulating Bosnia and Herzegovina's economy should be their priority - because in an average group of five young Bosnians, three of them have no jobs. Public dissatisfaction is growing. The many levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Government must now define their agenda for reform. If Bosnia and Herzegovina's leaders do not take that opportunity to reform, we may see a repeat of the anger that shook the streets of Sarajevo last year.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“This year, Bosnia's political leaders have an opportunity that they must not miss - to stop the drift and accelerate the journey towards a better future. They have a chance to implement the social and economic reforms their citizens expect and deserve. We must do our utmost to support them. I believe there are three areas in which we can do so. First, let us all give our full backing to the EU initiative on Bosnia and Herzegovina, first developed by the United Kingdom and Germany. The written commitment to reform by Bosnia's leaders, including those in the Republika Srpska, is a sign that the initiative can succeed. The EU will fulfil its side of the bargain; the Stabilization and Association Agreement will soon come into force.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source
“I thank High Representative Inzko for his briefing today. It is fitting that my first statement in an open debate of the Security Council is on the subject of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Earlier in my career, I served in the British delegation at the Dayton peace talks. I saw first- hand how the international community, led by Dick Holbrooke, came together to help end years of brutal fighting. Later, as the British Ambassador in Sarajevo from 2005 to 2008, I witnessed how far Bosnia had progressed after the war and saw the first steps taken towards a future in the European Union (EU) and in NATO. Although those steps have faltered, the United Kingdom has always been a strong supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina's long-term stability and prosperity. I am pleased to reassert that commitment unambiguously in the Council today.”
2015-05-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7440 (2015) · source