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

“Boko Haram has indeed been degraded and territory has indeed been reclaimed, but Boko Haram is far from a spent force. It is down but not out, shifting its tactics from land grabs to opportunistic attacks. Maiduguri now faces weekly suicide attacks, many from girls who are forced into suicide bombing. Over 400 people have been killed since we visited. Boko Haram's shameful and sickening abductions of young women and girls continue unabated. Those who return continue to face stigma and discrimination, which is why the United Kingdom will host a ministerial event here on 18 September, in order to launch a new set of global principles to tackle such stigma. The continuing barbarity is only exacerbating the humanitarian crises.”
2017-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8047 (2017) · source
“I would like to thank Under-Secretary- General Feltman for his valuable briefing and Ms. Imam for sharing her thoughts. It was six months ago, in a dusty internally displaced person's camp in Maiduguri, that we heard Ms. Imam's testimony, together with those of many others. It really brought home to me, and probably to several of us who were there, the human cost of the crisis in the Lake Chad basin. It was therefore very good to hear from Ms. Imam again today. It is vital that the Security Council continue to hear from those most affected by the issues on our agenda and continue to use those analyses and from-the-heart interventions to inform our decision-making. Sadly, as both Ms. Imam and the Secretary- General's report (S/2017/764) make clear, six months on from our visit to the Lake Chad basin, the situation remains deeply troubling.”
2017-09-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8047 (2017) · source
“Such actions are in no way a proportionate response to the legitimate defensive military exercises of South Korea and the United States. There is a way out. Diplomacy can end this crisis. First, North Korea must change its reckless course. There must be an end to the tests, an end to the provocations. Until North Korea changes course, we must maintain the maximum pressure possible. Through this resolution today, we have done just that. The onus now falls on Pyongyang to do the right thing - to step back from confrontation and to step towards de-escalation.”
2017-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8042 (2017) · source
“With this resolution we have shown that we are united in condemning this illegal and reckless act, and that we are determined that the North Korean regime change course. The unanimous agreement today of the States around this table is a powerful step. We now call on all States to redouble their sanctions implementation, while taking note of the decisions that we have made today under international law. North Korea is engaged in a dangerous policy of provocation. Ourrole as a Council, and as aninternational community, is to constrain them so that they change course. Sanctions are a vital part of that effort. It is the regime that bears full responsibility for the measures that we have enacted today. It is their continued, illegal and aggressive actions that have brought us here.”
2017-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8042 (2017) · source
“This resolution does three big things. First, it will curtail gas, petrol and oil imports. Secondly, it will ban all textile exports, thereby taking hundreds of millions of dollars from revenues that the North Korean regime uses to fund its nuclear and missile programmes. And, thirdly, it will end future work authorizations of North Korean overseas labourers, stopping a sickening industry built on modern slavery and used to divert funds to the regime. Therefore, make no mistake: we are tightening the screw, and we stand ready to tighten it further. Until the regime sees that diplomacy, not duplicity, is the way forward, we must use all of our diplomatic tools to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang. Some observers doubted that the Council would be willing or able to react speedily or in unison, or even at all, to this new provocation.”
2017-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8042 (2017) · source
“Just over a week ago, North Korea sent a brazen message ofprovocation, a message of belligerence - a sixth nuclear test, carried out once again in clear contempt for the Security Council, the region and the international community. Today, through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2375 (2017), we have sent a message of our own in response. Through this vote we have made clear that we will not stand idly by in the face of such aggression, that we will not be intimidated or cowed, that we will match North Korean provocations with clear, targeted consequences. Today we have enacted strategic measures that, together with existing obligations, add up to the most stringent United Nations sanctions regime placed on any nation in the twenty-first century. We have enacted measures today that show our determination to act.”
2017-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8042 (2017) · source
“The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has created a deeply dangerous and unstable situation. The United Kingdom will work with our partners on the Council and beyond to tackle the challenge. I urge all States to join us.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“When we met last week, I stated that the United Kingdom believed that a new resolution was required in response to the Republic's dangerous and illegal test flight of the missile over Japan. In the light of yesterday's nuclear test, our resolve to act has increased further. We must increase the pace of implementation of existing sanctions and work rapidly towards the adoption of a new and effective resolution. While continuing to enforce the measures that the Council has already agreed, we should go further by taking steps to sever the funds on which the regime relies in order to pursue its illegal and destabilizing programmes. Not least, we should further restrict the unethical exploitation of overseas workers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“The leadership of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has chosen that path of defiance at great cost. Faced with this unique threat to international peace and security, the Security Council must condemn the test and the entire nuclear and missile programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We continue to wish for a peaceful way forward. Dialogue will always be our end goal, but returning to dialogue without a serious sign of intent from Pyongyang would be a set-up for failure. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea must change course to allow a return to dialogue. Were it to do so, the opportunity exists to end the crisis. Until that moment, we must stay the course on sanctions and, as the Secretary-General has called for, continue to present a united front.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“It is clear that existing sanctions applied by the Security Council on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are having an effect, in particular the measures against commodity exports and the financial sector that have been applied since 2016. Those sanctions are making its harder and harder for Pyongyang to acquire the hard currency necessary to fund its programme. Each day, that gets harder still, thanks to the efforts of many States around the table. Those who doubt that impact need only read the statements coming from the regime. They rail against the sanctions that we have placed upon them. But it is also clear that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is uniquely willing to put its illicit programmes ahead of the well-being of its people. Those people suffer appalling repression and struggle even to feed themselves.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“The most recent test has been quite rightly condemned already by most of the Governments represented here today. We have adopted eight sanctions resolutions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The country is subject to the most stringent sanctions currently applied by the Council, and yet the Republic continues to put its illegal missile and nuclear programmes ahead of international law, international security and the will of the Council. It is a disturbing and unprecedented situation. Rarely has a State remained so defiant in the face of overwhelming international condemnation and repeated powerful rounds of sanctions.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“This is the sixth time that the Security Council has come together to condemn a nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; the sixth time that the world has held its breath. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the only country in the twenty-first century to have conducted such tests, against all international standards of behaviour. In addition, we have met many times in recent months, following other provocations from the Republic, most recently, just last week, in response to its reckless missile test over Japan. Yesterday's nuclear test explosion was by far the largest yet. Combined with the increasing range of its missiles, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea poses a threat, not simply to its region, but truly to global peace and security.”
2017-09-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8039 (2017) · source
“focusing on the transition of tasks to the Somali security forces and a gradual and phased reduction in AMISOM. troop numbers. I once again offer my thanks, Mr. President, for the work over the month, and I wish the very best to Ethiopia for next month, and I thank Japan for all its hard work on working methods.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“The decisions to close the Missions in Haiti, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire have reminded us of the importance of ensuring that peacebuilding is considered throughout the life cycle of a mission, which means ensuring that there is a whole-of-United Nations approach from the beginning and that a mission's strategic objectives are clearly set out at its inception. I am pleased that this morning we were able to put this into practice and confirm our support for a set of clear strategic objectives in Somalia, when we unanimously renewed the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) (see S/PV.8035). In response to the joint Africa Union-United Nations review, this marks an important shift in emphasis for the Mission, with AMISOM.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“We were also briefed this month on the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in the Central African Republic and the dangers that humanitarian workers are facing when trying to deliver aid. The meeting in high-level week on the forthcoming mandate renewal will provide opportunities to reconsider our approach to the Central African Republic. Finally, the Council has continued its discussion of peacekeeping. I would like to thank Egypt for scheduling yesterday's open debate on the contribution that peacekeeping can make to sustaining peace (see S/PV.8033).”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“My second point is about the links that we have seen this month between conflict and humanitarian crises. The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption this month ofpresidential statement S/PRST/2017/14, on the devastating famines in South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and north-eastern Nigeria. It is vital that the parties to each of these conflicts respect their obligations to protect civilians and ensure the security of humanitarian operations and personnel. The Security Council must keep up the momentum over the next few months. We look forward to a discussion of these crises during the high-level week and to a briefing from the Secretary- General in October on the deliberate actions that are increasing humanitarian need and the barriers to an effective response.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“This month, the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported to us on its most recent findings (S/PV.8026). Sadly, it was not a routine briefing because it was in the course of seeking evidence for that report (S/2017/672/Rev.1) that Zaida Catalan and Michael Sharp were so tragically killed. We were also briefed on the results of the United Nations Board of Inquiry report on their murder, and we look forward to seeing its recommendations implemented in full. The Security Council and the wider United Nations have a responsibility to those that work on our behalf. It is essential that we see a swift, full and transparent investigation into who was responsible for their murders and that the perpetrators be held to account. We call on the Secretary-General to establish a mechanism for further investigation without delay.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“Also, like others, I am very glad that we were able to send a strong united message, first of all on 5 August (S/PV.8019), with the new package of sanctions, and secondly, yesterday evening, with presidential statement S/PRST/201/l6, condemning the latest atrocities from North Korea. The threat that North Korea poses, not just to its region, but now to the whole world, means that we must remain united and make sure that we respond with clarity and unequivocal condemnation every time there are such violations. I also want to use this meeting very briefly to focus on three other points that we have tackled this month. The first is to pay tribute to the men and women around the world who carry out the decisions of the Security Council, often in the most dangerous locations.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“I would like to begin by offering thanks and congratulations to you, Mr. President, and to all of your team for a very successful month. I would like to join others in praising your effective presidency and leadership and inclusive management of the Council's business throughout August. Quite often, August has a reputation of being a quiet month, but it has not been quiet at all. This month, there has been absolutely no let up in the activity of the Security Council. And, of course, the most important issue that we have all faced has been North Korea. So, I want to begin with that and how we respond to the repeated violations of Security Council resolutions.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8038 (2017) · source
“Our long-term ambition is to see the Lebanese Armed Forces assert their authority in southern Lebanon and take over responsibilities from UNIFIL. We believe that the resolution we have just adopted provides UNIFIL with the mandate it needs to do the job properly. We now urge the mission and its troop-contributing countries to do everything they can to challenge obstructions to the mission's operation and freedom of movement and to seek to enforce its mandate in full. If those critical requirements are not fulfilled, UNIFIL's forces will struggle and the Lebanese people will be the ones who ultimately pay the price. We therefore repeat our call to all the relevant parties to comply fully with resolution 1701 (2006) and support the critical work that UNIFIL will continue to carry out over the next year.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8037 (2017) · source
“The United Kingdom welcomes the Council's unanimous adoption of resolution 2373 (2017) today. We continue to support a sovereign, stable Lebanon, supported and governed by legitimate State institutions. We recognize the fact that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) makes a significant contribution to Lebanon's stability and security. Without UNIFIL carrying out its vital mission, it would be difficult to argue that Lebanon is more stable or secure, so we are pleased that UNIFIL's mandate has been renewed today. The United Kingdom continues to be concerned about the violations of resolution 1701 (2006) from both sides of the Blue Line. UNIFIL must be more confident and assertive in enforcing its mandate.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8037 (2017) · source
“Now, it is time for a new approach to security, to focus not only on tackling the threat from Al-Shabaab, but crucially also on beginning the gradual hand-over of security responsibility to the Somali security forces themselves. It will take time, but at the London Somalia conference in May, Somalia and 42 international partners agreed a security pact for security reform to enable Somalia to provide that security and protection that its people so desperately need and deserve. Somalia wants to step up to that challenge and we all stand ready to support the country. We look forward to continuing to support progress and we are grateful for the continued presence of AMISOM, to allow Somalia to flourish.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8035 (2017) · source
“For the very first time in AMISOM's 10- year deployment, the Security Council has begun to reduce the total number of military personnel deployed in Somalia. There are many indicators of Somalia's progress. Reducing the number of international troops and beginning the transition of security responsibility to Somalia itself is surely one of them. That progress would not have been possible without AMISOM's bravery and sacrifice in Somalia. The commitment and tenacity demonstrated by the troop- and police-contributing countries of AMISOM. against the brutal threat has provided the space for Somalia to hold successful electoral processes and to begin the slow task of State building.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8035 (2017) · source
“The United Kingdom welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2372 (2017), which renews the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). As penholder, I thank all members of the Security Council for their cooperation. I would like to pay tribute in particular to Fiona Blyth of my team for holding the pen so commendably on Somalia, just as she leaves New York to go and work for the United Nations in Somalia. AMISOM's continued presence in Somalia is critical to allow progress to continue, enable President Farmajo's vision of reform to take root and allow time for Somalia to build its security capacity. The challenges ahead are daunting but today, once again, the Council has recommitted to supporting that vision. It is a significant turning point for AMISOM. and for Somalia.”
2017-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8035 (2017) · source
“Had just one more woman been involved, they would have matched the total number of women sitting around this table representing the member States of the Security Council. Whether in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Nigeria or, indeed, in the Security Council, let us all advocate for the full active participation of women. Women have spent too long enduring and surviving these crises. It is long past time for them to play their fullest part in solving them.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“To end the crises that afflict so many women and girls disproportionately in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, we need to see long-term progress on the women and peace and security agenda. At its heart, that means women's equality in all aspects ofpolitics, Government and society. It is unacceptable that women continue to be so poorly represented in formal governance and peace processes when, time after time, studies show that women's participation in such processes aids their ultimate success. In Nigeria, for instance, women's participation in the House of Representatives and the Senate has fallen since 2011. It now stands at around 5 per cent. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, only two women were involved in discussions to reach a political agreement during the crisis last year.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“That is why the United Kingdom, together with our United Nations and non-governmental organization partners, are supporting the Nigerian Government to re-establish basic social services to areas that they have stabilized. It is why we pledged $6 million to support to humanitarian response in the Kasais, and why we support the Human Rights Council's unanimous decision to deploy a team of experts to look into the situation there. It is why we provide training to the Nigerian armed forces and to African peacekeeping contingents on protecting civilians and on preventing sexual and gender-based violence. And it is why the United Kingdom is funding legal assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help the survivors of those crimes. But ultimately, those are all comparatively short- term actions.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Government of Nigeria have a duty to restore stability because instability fuels crises. As they do so, they must respect human rights and international humanitarian law. They cannot be part of the problem if they want to be part of the solution. That means that Governments must protect civilians as they restore stability. It means that they must act on allegations of human rights abuses, including sexual violence, irrespective of whether they are allegations against their own forces or any other group and that includes United Nations peacekeepers too. It means Governments holding to account those who have committed such crimes, showing that there can be no impunity or escape and that the rule of law applies to everyone. We need to help them in that effort.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“Over 1,000 cases have been responded to since the crisis began last year, with the actual number of cases likely to be far higher. That has sparked a crisis that has left 400,000 children at risk of severe acute malnutrition. Those two situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Nigeria are different in many ways, and yet they are product of the same vicious cycle. It is a cycle of instability - one that breeds violence and leads to a breakdown of law and order. It is a cycle that allows groups like Boko Haram to flourish and carry out those most heinous crimes. Put simply, we need to break the cycle. By we, I mean all of us, including the Security Council, but responsibility must fall first and foremost to the Governments affected.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“We heard so many of them from mothers or daughters who had lost everything - their children, families, homes and hope - all to Boko Haram. Sadly, it seems that those stories are still being told. Despite the efforts of the United Nations, the African Union and Governments of the region, the suffering continues, with over 2 million people still displaced in the Lake Chad region - over 96 per cent of them because of the insurgency. Similar stories can also be heard loudly and clearly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which now has the highest displaced population in Africa. The reports emanating from the Kasai regions should make us all sick to our stomachs. They speak of mass graves, brutal killing and maiming, including of women and children. They tell of rampant sexual violence.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“Ithank Ambassador Tete Antonio and, above all, the Deputy Secretary- General for sharing their analyses of their important visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to northern Nigeria. May I also commend the work of UN-Women and of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, who also took part in the visit. Together, they have really brought home to us the horrific, disproportionate impact that both those crises have on civilians and in particular, on women and girls. It is an impact that the Council knows only too well, following our visit to the Lake Chad region in March, but I am sure that none of us who were on that visit will forget the stories of anguish that we heard then.”
2017-08-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8022 (2017) · source
“The world would welcome them, not threaten them. So in the Chamber, let us once again call on North Korea to halt and reverse its nuclear and missile development programmes. Let us once again call on it to prioritize the well-being of its people over its illegal and destabilizing military programmes. North Korea's security and well-being do not depend on nuclear weapons. They do not depend on far-reaching missiles. They do not depend on a myth of self-sufficient defiance of the wider world. To live in constant tension with the world cannot be in the interests of North Korea's regime, let alone its people. We have taken a step forward. We have spoken with a unified voice that we are ready to act in an unprecedented way in response to North Korea's reckless nuclear pursuit. Every country must ensure that these measures are adhered to.”
2017-08-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8019 (2017) · source
“And those who are already victims of this abusive system can trust that the United Kingdom will continue to work towards a complete end to North Korea's institutionalized modern slavery. North Korea bears full responsibility for the measures we have enacted today. By acting in flagrant violation of its legal obligations, and by going against the will of the Security Council expressed in countless resolutions, North Korea has chosen the path it now finds itself on. It is a path that, at a minimum, will lead to further suffering for its own people, and at most could prove to be catastrophic for the whole world. It does not have to be this way. North Korea should forgo the path of provocation - forgo the path of further escalation. There is no reason why the people of North Korea cannot share the normal, prosperous life of their neighbours.”
2017-08-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8019 (2017) · source
“In simple terms, should the North Korean regime continue its reckless pursuit of an illegal missile programme and a deadly nuclear programme, it will have vastly less resources to do so. We have also capped the number of foreign workers from North Korea. Every year, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea sends thousands of ordinary workers overseas. They often endure poor conditions and long hours, and their toil serves to provide critical foreign currency for North Korean Government coffers. This is undoubtedly a form of modern slavery, and today we have taken the first step to ending it. The world will now monitor and curtail work authorizations for these desperate expatriates.”
2017-08-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8019 (2017) · source
“North Korea is no longer athreat faced by a single country or a single region. It is instead a threat that confronts us all. The two tests in the past month were of an intercontinental missile, extending the threat much further than before, to many more countries. In a world where North Korean missile tests seem routine, let me be clear - this is not business as usual. Let us make no mistake. As North Korea's missile capabilities advance, so too does its contempt and disregard for the Security Council. We must meet this belligerence with clear, unequivocal condemnation and with clear, unequivocal consequences. Today, we have banned North Korean exports of coal, iron ore, lead and seafood. These are the lifeline exports that sustain Kim Jong Un's deadly aspirations.”
2017-08-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8019 (2017) · source
“Here we face a State that continues to act in flagrant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, a State that continues to threaten not just its region but the whole world in its reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and illegal missiles. Their latest ICBM. launch last week suggests a capability that puts most Security Council members, including the United Kingdom, within range. I have said before in this Chamber, but it bears repeating today, that we as the Security Council must act and must be prepared to use sanctions to raise the cost to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of pursuing these illegal actions.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“President, we welcome further consideration of your delegation's recent suggestion for a Secretary-General's report on cross-cutting issues related to sanctions. If this report builds on the existing work I have referred to, draws lessons from current sanctions regimes and offers concrete practical suggestions on how to improve implementation and effectiveness, then we think that this could be a valuable addition to our sanctions work, one that will help set a clear agenda for further improvements, building on the high-level review and other efforts. There is, quite simply, no clearer reminder of the need to strengthen our sanctions capability that the current situation that we confront in relation to North Korea.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“All Member States must recognize and respect the fact that there can be no ifs, no buts: sanctions agreed in the Council are legally binding Chapter VII obligations. I recognize that even when there is strong political will, implementation can be challenging, not just for States but also for businesses. There is already much good work in this area: outreach from sanctions committees, the development of networks and capacity- building, the sharing of information and best practices among States. But a great deal more can still be done, especially on the most important of sanctions dossiers, such as North Korea, where the number of States reporting on implementation still falls far short of what it needs to be. That is why, Mr.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“All future work on sanctions should build on the great deal of valuable work that has already been carried out by States and stakeholders on this issue. In particular, I want to highlight both the work of the United Nations informal working group from 2006 and also the high-level review of United Nations sanctions led by Sweden and other sponsors. They have produced good recommendations. But as we all know, building the political commitment required for effective follow-up has been challenging. This issue of political will applies above all when it comes to the serious implementation of sanctions. For such measures to be truly effective, it is absolutely essential that all States implement them fully. It is not good enough just for the majority of countries to do so. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“All of these examples illustrate not just the efficacy of sanctions but the importance of using them together with the other tools at our disposal. The Iran deal was not forged from sanctions alone. Our victory over Da'esh will not be secured through the hard work of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) concerning Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities, alone. Sanctions must sit alongside all our other tools: direct political dialogue, mediation, peacekeeping and special political missions. And just as with all other tools of the Council, it is important that sanctions remain fit for purpose. So I want to thank you, Mr. President, for bringing this issue before the Council again so that we can consider if there are further ways to improve our collective work on sanctions.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“I thank Assistant Secretary-General Zerihoun for his briefing, which has made clear that sanctions are a Vital part of the Security Council's arsenal. As Article 41 of the United Nations Charter makes clear, they give real effect to our decisions, turning words spoken in this Chamber into tangible actions against those who threaten international peace and security. They are not our first resort, nor are they a measure that we can ever take lightly, but we know that sanctions work. They helped bring peace and security to countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone. They helped bring Iran to the negotiating table, which led in turn to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. And sanctions continue to play a Vital role in the fight against Da'esh and Al-Qaida in Iraq, Syria and beyond.”
2017-08-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8018 (2017) · source
“As an example, it is simply not good enough to express our support for arms embargoes mandated by the Security Council in the resolution if we are unwilling to make them a reality in areas of genuine need around the world. If we look at South Sudan, last year the Council had a real chance to take steps to lessen the carnage caused by the uncontrolled flow of weapons there, and yet when we voted to impose an arms embargo we failed. The United Kingdom maintains that it is long past time for us to return to that issue, and when we do I hope that we will channel some of the fervour for arms embargoes that we found in the resolution adopted today.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“The Council has already made a call on the international community to consider signing and ratifying that vital instrument, captured in the most comprehensive resolution adopted on small arms and light weapons - resolution 2220 (2015). I deeply regret that we were unable today to repeat that call unanimously, but we may rest assured that the Arms Trade Treaty will remain central to the United Kingdom's approach to preventing irresponsible trafficking in arms. Before I cede the floor, I think it is important to recognize that the words in resolution 2370 (2017) are only as good as their implementation outside the Chamber.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“And it is why we are committed to developing an effective and informed network across the international community that will help track key components and prevent the manufacturer of these devices. In parallel, we need to do more to combat the illicit trafficking and, crucially, the diversion of small arms and light weapons. It is not enoughjust to investigate and dispose of illicit weapons; we must prevent the moment when a legal weapon becomes diverted to illegal use. The Arms Trade Treaty remains the most important instrument at our disposal to do that. It is a robust, effective, legally binding treaty, and one that took years to agree. We must use it to its fullest extent, drawing on its transparent and consistent standards to regulate the global arms trade. I therefore strongly urge all States to join the Arms Trade Treaty.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“But not content with years of brutality, Da'esh has left behind a bitter, bloody legacy for those returning home - a city littered with booby traps and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We must make no mistake - the indiscriminate use of these devices goes against the basic tenets of international humanitarian law and the basic tenets of human decency. That is why the United Kingdom is committed to developing practical approaches that reduce the use and availability of improvised explosive devices. It is why we have committed to spending $129 million over the next three years to tackle the problem of IEDs, explosive remnants of war and land mines.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“Through the resolution adopted today, we have committed to taking practical steps to do just that, first, by stopping terrorists' deadly use of explosive devices, and secondly by stopping their illegal supply of small arms and light weapons. We need only look to Mosul - to its ruined buildings and ruined lives 4 to see that these weapons and explosives are crucial enablers of the brutality of groups like Da'esh. Over three years, Da'esh used small arms and light weapons and explosive devices to impose its sick ideology on the people of Mosul, systematically persecuting anyone who dared to stand in its way. Three years on, thanks to the bravery of the Iraqi security forces, Da'esh has now been defeated in Mosul.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“I would like to begin by expressing my thanks to Ambassador Liu Jieyi and his team for a very successful presidency last month, and to welcome Ambassador Nebenzia, our new Russian colleague, to the Security Council. I should like to wish you, Sir, all the very best for the month ahead as President of the Security Council. You have got us off to a flying start with the unanimous adoption of resolution 2370 (2017) today, which the United Kingdom is very pleased to support. I hope that you have started the month as you mean to go on, because there is a lot to do together and we need to maintain the unity and activism of this morning as we grapple wth the challenges of the month ahead. There is no greater challenge than the unrelenting scourge of terrorism. It is a threat that we all face and that we must all unite to defeat.”
2017-08-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8017 (2017) · source
“While the process that began on 25 July 1994 led to peace between Israel and Jordan, we should never forget the leadership shown by the United States, which was so instrumental in making that peace possible. It is that same leadership that President Trump and his Administration are now demonstrating in reinvigorating the Middle East peace process. That is to be applauded and supported. We call on the region as a whole, Israelis and Palestinians to seize the opportunity that such leadership offers, just as it was seized 23 years ago.”
2017-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8011 (2017) · source
“All settlements are illegal under international law, and I strongly condemn plans to build new settlement housing units. Many of those units are within Palestinian neighbourhoods, and some involve the demolition of Palestinian homes. That is unacceptable. I am also gravely concerned by proposals for the construction of a further 1,100 units between the West Bank settlements of Adam and Neve Yaakov. Settlements undermine the territorial contiguity of the West Bank and make a two- State solution harder to achieve. There is a great deal for us to do if we are to make peace a reality. However, before concluding, let me return to the Washington Declaration.”
2017-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8011 (2017) · source
“There is a way out: Hamas must renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previously signed agreements. That means an end to the rockets, an end to the violence. Those countries in the region with influence over Hamas must encourage them to take these steps. We also need to see steps towards the restoration of the Palestinian Authority control of Gaza, and with it the restoration of effective and accountable governance. If we are to achieve a solution, Israel must lift restrictions on Gaza to ease the suffering of ordinary Palestinians. The United Kingdom stands ready to do all it can to support those efforts. Beyond Gaza, we are also concerned at seeing settlement activity in East Jerusalem increasing, especially at a time of heightened tension.”
2017-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8011 (2017) · source