YouSaid · the spoken record

Secretary-General

lines on the record: 2,998
first: 1995-09-26
most recent: 2021-05-16
sittings or episodes: 363
sources: un-security-council

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“They are exacerbated by climate change, population growth and the globalization of crime and terrorism. With so many factors at work, it takes very little to trigger a crisis that can engulf a country or a region, with global consequences. But while the causes of crisis are deeply interlinked, the United Nations response remains fragmented. The interconnected nature of today's crises requires us to connect our own efforts for peace and security, sustainable development and human rights not just in words but in practice. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on sustaining peace demonstrate strong intergovernmental support for an integrated approach. The challenge now is to make corresponding changes to our culture, strategy, structures and operations.”
2017-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7857 (2017) · source
“Yet we spend far more time and resources responding to crises rather than preventing them. People are paying too high a price. The Member States are paying too high a price. We need a whole new approach. It has proved very difficult to persuade decision-makers at the national and international levels that prevention must be their priority - perhaps because successful prevention does not attract attention. The television cameras are not there when a crisis is avoided. Most of today's conflicts are still essentially internal, even if they quickly take on regional and transnational overtones. They are fuelled by competition for power and resources, inequality, marginalization and exclusion, poor governance, weak institutions and sectarian divides.”
2017-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7857 (2017) · source
“May I first thank you, Madam, and the Swedish presidency for convening this meeting and allowing me to have my first formal presence in the Security Council, discussing what I believe must be the priority of everything we do together - preventing conflicts and sustaining peace. I believe that the massive attendance at this meeting proves that, indeed, this message is something that we all fully recognize. The United Nations was established to prevent war by binding us in arules-based international order. Today, that order is under grave threat. Millions of people in crisis look to the Council to preserve global stability and to protect them from harm, but the enormous human and economic cost of conflicts around the world shows how complex and challenging this is.”
2017-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7857 (2017) · source
“Let us work together to help today's victims of trafficking while creating a more stable and just world for all. I thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and commitment.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“I call for all countries to ratify all international human rights, refugee, labour rights and crime-prevention conventions, and to put efforts into their effective implementation. The majority of trafficking victims are women and girls. Our response must include special attention to their rights. States must adopt gender-sensitive and rights-based migration policies. We need strategic leadership in ending war and also in preventing conflicts and sustaining peace. That is why I have strengthened the commitment of the United Nations to supporting Member States in early action and in preventive diplomacy. As this may be my last speech to the Council, let me emphasize once again that prevention should be at the forefront. I welcome my successor's focus on this very important priority.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“I encourage contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. These initiatives are helping victims to heal and become agents of change. The second front is human rights and stability. If conflict gives oxygen to traffickers, human rights and stability suffocate them. That is why it is so important to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda promises a life of dignity for all people and focuses on helping the farthest behind first. To fulfil this promise, we have to stand for the human rights of all victims and vulnerable people.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“Some States have successfully suppressed trafficking syndicates by targeting money-laundering and criminal proceeds. We should step up this action. Governments have to respond, especially when their own nationals are involved. I call on all States to investigate and prosecute such cases, including those in which their own nationals commit this crime abroad. All perpetrators must be brought to justice. The problem of trafficking is international in nature, and only an international response can succeed. The United Nations is bringing together Governments, other organizations and civil-society groups. I call for increased support to United Nations entities that are confronting the problem of trafficking.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“International law needs to be respected and implemented. The United Nations is actively engaged in preventing sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by peacekeepers. States must also train peacekeepers and others to respond to trafficking in persons and prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. We should intensify training on preventing trafficking in persons as well as sexual exploitation and abuse. The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime is a vital tool. I call on all States that are not party to its Protocol on trafficking in persons to join right away. I also urge countries to adopt dedicated anti-trafficking laws and national action plans. States should consider creating multidisciplinary law-enforcement units or specialized prosecutors' offices to address this threat.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“Yazidi girls captured in Iraq are trafficked into Syria and sold in open slave markets as if they were things, not people. Before the conflict in Syria began, there were few, if any, human trafficking victims from that country. Now, victims from Syria - along with Iraq, Somalia and other conflict-torn countries - are found in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Traumatized Syrian refugee children are being forced to work. Instead of studying and playing, they are sewing clothes, serving food and selling items on the street. We have to fight trafficking for the sake of the victims When we do, we will also decrease funding for terrorists and make everyone safer. We need action on two fronts. The first is justice and accountability. These are heinous crimes that demand immediate international action.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“I thank the Spanish presidency of the Council. led by His Excellency Mr. Rajoy Brey, for convening this important meeting. I come with a plea for Member States to take steps to help victims of trafficking today and prevent further cases in the future. That means attention to immediate crimes and underlying causes. Trafficking is a global problem, but the most vulnerable people are those caught in conflict: women, children, internally displaced persons and refugees. War provides oxygen to terrorist groups. It gives them space to flourish. the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and others are using trafficking and sexual violence as weapons of terror and an important source of revenue. Both ISIL and Boko Haram have engaged in the sexual enslavement of women and girls through trafficking.”
2016-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7847 (2016) · source
“I emphasized that the Regional Protection Force represented the collective commitment of the region to peace, security and stability. I would like to commend Kenya for its unwavering commitment to peace in South Sudan and for working closely with the United Nations to meet that goal. The people of South Sudan have suffered for far too long and far too much. We must put all pressure on leaders who think or act otherwise. Ifwe fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities. Its people will be the targets of those atrocities while they pin their hopes on the international community in general and the Security Council. I appeal to the Security Council to act now in fulfilment of its responsibility and in support of ongoing regional efforts.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“The Secretariat has been providing the Security Council with a list of those violations on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, those reports have not resulted in any action on the part of the Council to restore the freedom of movement without which the Mission will be unable to fully implement its mandate. But an improvement of the Mission's performance is only one part of the picture. The Government of South Sudan should also fulfil its pledges of unconditional acceptance of the deployment of the Regional Protection Force. Words alone are insufficient. They must be matched by practical actions that demonstrate a strategic shift to full cooperation with the United Nations and all partners for peace. I spoke with President Kenyatta of Kenya on Saturday to exchange views on the South Sudan peace process.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“Adama Dieng, said to the Council after his recent visit to South Sudan (see S/PV.7814), genocide is not one event; it is a process. I am afraid that process is about to begin unless immediate action is taken. The Security Council must take steps to stem the flow of arms to South Sudan, as well as to send a clear warning that hate speech, incitement and violence must end and that there will be accountability for mass atrocities and other crimes. As the Council is aware, after two independent investigations, Ihave had to take some difficult decisions regarding the performance of our troops in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Moreover, UNMISS continues to face serious restrictions on its freedom of movement throughout the country, in clear violation of the status-of-forces agreement.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“A national dialogue could be a positive step if all stakeholders are able to participate in freedom and safety. Unfortunately, that environment does not currently exist in South Sudan. I call on regional leaders to invest all possible efforts into resuscitating the political process in South Sudan. I commend the work of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union, and call upon the Security Council to complement those efforts. I strongly believe that an arms embargo is the most appropriate way to do so. Such a step, I should emphasize, would strengthen and not undermine the political process. The conflict in South Sudan has already assumed an ethnic dimension. We have witnessed hate speech from many internationaln leadership positions. As my Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Mr.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“I call on all the neighbouring countries to support and cooperate on an arms embargo. The most urgent need is to prevent the parties from launching any military operation at the beginning of the dry season. I urge the Security Council, regional leaders and the international community to make it clear to President Kiir and Rick Machar that the initiation of a military offensive will carry serious consequences. The parties must reinvigorate an inclusive political process that is deemed credible by the people of South Sudan and the international community. Any attempt to rubber-stamp the legitimacy of those in power will not bring peace or stability. An inclusive and credible process requires all parties to the conflict to have a seat at the negotiating table with the ability to share and exercise power without fear of reprisals.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“At the same time, we should be united and determined in following through with severe consequences for those who impede the path to peace and stability. In that spirit, I reiterate my call for an arms embargo on South Sudan. Such an embargo would diminish the capacity of all sides to wage war. South Sudan faces no external threat. More weapons will only pose a greater threat to its own people. We have repeatedly seen the deliberate targeting of civilian communities perceived to support an opposing side. As efforts to revive the political process continue, the least we can do is to stop the flow of more weapons, which pose a direct threat to the safety and security of civilians and humanitarian workers. Instability in South Sudan is also a threat to the region.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“The responsibility for that tragic state of affairs lies squarely on the shoulders of South Sudan's leaders. They have betrayed the public trust and continue to show a perverse sense of entitlement, seeking to retain power and wealth at all costs. Reports suggest that President Salva Kiir and his loyalists are contemplating a new military offensive in the coming days against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition. Moreover, there are clear indications that Riek Machar and other opposition groups are pursuing a military escalation. It is time to put the people of South Sudan, and not its leaders, at the forefront of any strategy. The international community must come together to provide the necessary help and incentives.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“Before proceeding, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Russian delegation following the assassination of their colleague, Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara, earlier today. I condemn that senseless act of terror, for which there can be no justification. We are here to address one of the world's most urgent crises - the deteriorating situation South Sudan. Not long ago, the people of South Sudan were riding a wave of optimism. Africa's longest civil war had ended. The world's youngest nation was born. Yet today, all of that hope and promise has disappeared. South Sudan is engulfed in yet another civil war. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. The country's economy is in ruins. The social fabric is in tatters. Millions of people are homeless and displaced. Hunger and poverty have only deepened.”
2016-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7846 (2016) · source
“But hope alone will not end the occupation, or rid the Palestinian and Israeli peoples of their legitimate fears. There must be a major shift to courageous and concrete action by the parties that enables meaningful negotiations. The United Nations will continue to assist that process. Ultimately, it is up to Israelis and Palestinians to make peace - we cannot do it for them. They must rebuild trust in each other as the only way to address the fears and suspicions that have led to the deep polarization we see today. At the same time, we all can - and must - contribute to building trust, so sorely needed in the Middle East and the world today. That work must begin now, before it is too late.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“But there cannot be sustainable peace between Israelis and Arabs without progress towards Palestinian statehood. Ten years ago, my predecessor, Kofi Annan, called for a revitalized Middle East Quartet, working closely with international and regional partners, to facilitate and sustain direct negotiations. I fully believe that architecture remains critical. Since becoming Secretary-General, I have Visited the region 11 times, including during periods of war. For 10 years, I pressed Israelis and Palestinians to start believing in a common future, bound by their undeniable historic, religious and national connections to the land. Those aspirations have not been fulfilled. I will continue to hope that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians are tired of the tug-of-war over historical narratives.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“As we look to the future, I call on the Security Council to reaffirm without reservations that there is no alternative to the two-State solution. The status quo entrenches a one-State reality of perpetual occupation and conflict. We must not give up on the right of Palestine to exist, just as we must protect the right of Israel to exist in peace and security with its neighbours. I urge the Council to explore the vast potential of incentives and begin immediately to develop, in consultation with the parties, an agreed framework for advancing a final resolution to the conflict on the basis of direct negotiations. The upcoming conference in France could be an opportunity to begin that discussion. The Arab Peace Initiative presents a chance to develop a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“The United Nations country team is working under difficult circumstances to provide relief to vulnerable Palestinians and to help build the institutions and policies of a future independent Palestinian State. During the past 10 years, I have argued that we must never accept bias against Israel within United Nations bodies. Decades of political manoeuverings have created a disproportionate volume of resolutions, reports and conferences criticizing Israel. In many cases, rather than helping the Palestinian cause, that reality has hampered the ability of the United Nations to fulfil its role effectively. At the same time, Israel must realize that the reality in which a democratic State governed by the rule oflaw keeps the Palestinian people under military occupation will continue to generate criticism and calls for accountability.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“Let me begin by honouring the 24 United Nations staff members based in the occupied Palestinian territory who have been killed in the line of duty during my tenure. Their sacrifices shall never be forgotten. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East provides a much- needed element of stability for 5.3 million Palestine refugees across the region. It continues to face serious financial challenges. I urge Member States to honour their commitment and increase their contributions to the Agency. The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process has been instrumental in bridging differences between all sides, facilitating negotiations and engaging with the region and international partners.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“After three brutal conflicts, Israel's crippling closures and a decade-long political divide have left 2 million Palestinians trapped in a humanitarian tragedy, without hope for a political horizon. I have witnessed this devastation on my four trips to Gaza. I must warn, as I have repeatedly stated, that Gaza is a tinder box. It is almost certain to explode unless movement and access restrictions are lifted and humanitarian needs are addressed; unless rocket attacks, tunnel construction and smuggling stop; and unless progress is made towards establishing a Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral and peaceful part. I also want to take this opportunity to commend the efforts of United Nations colleagues working with such diligence and dedication to promote peace and prevent yet more violence.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“In 2011, these achievements were recognized by the international community as being well positioned for establishment of a State. Palestine received non-member observer State status in 2012, and I witnessed, alongside President Abbas, the raising of the Palestinian flag for the first time at the United Nationsjust last year. Still, Palestine's State-building and democratic governance aspirations continue to be undermined by the occupation and the lack of Palestinian national unity. The centrality of the challenges facing Gaza cannot be overstated. Indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas towards Israel for a decade has convinced many Israelis that there is no hope for peace.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“The divisions between the West Bank and Gaza can be overcome only with the formation of a single, legitimate and inclusive Palestinian Government, on the basis of Palestine Liberation Organization principles. We must urge a renewal of the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian leadership and institutions and ensure that they represent all Palestinians. It is unacceptable that Hamas still boasts an anti-Semitic Charter that aspires to the obliteration of Israel. Hamas must once and for all renounce the use of Violence and recognize the right of Israel to exist alongside a Palestinian State, in accordance with all relevant Security Council resolutions and previous agreements between the parties. Over the past 10 years, the Palestinian Authority has made strides in building its institutions.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“I have also decried the practice of administrative detention and ill-treatment in detention by Israeli and Palestinian authorities alike. Similarly, executions of prisoners by Hamas in Gaza are absolutely unacceptable, and I continue to speak out against constraints on freedom of expression by Israeli and the Palestinian authorities, including against human rights defenders. The absence of Palestinian unity throughout the occupied territory presents an obstacle to the two-State solution. The failure to organize Palestinian general elections has remained one of the clearest signs of this disunity and of the fragile Palestinian democratic process.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“Progress in this area, however, will be difficult unless the Palestinian authorities take brave and concrete steps to address incitement and violence. Acts and statements that glorify terror are unacceptable. I have repeatedly and strongly denounced incitement and all acts of terror. Stabbings, vehicle rammings and other attacks by Palestinians do nothing to advance their dream of statehood. Israel must also understand that continued occupation and heavy-handed security responses - including the possible excessive use of force and the highly restrictive closure policy in Gaza - play into the hands of extremists. These actions risk undermining moderate voices, and further deepening the gulf between the two sides.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“A bill currently being debated in the Israeli legislature risks the regularization of more than 50 outposts and thousands of housing units built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, which would be a clear violation of international law. If adopted, this legislation would for the first time apply Israeli law on the status ofPalestinian land in the occupied West Bank. I strongly urge legislators to reconsider advancing the bill, which would have negative legal consequences for Israel and substantially diminish the chances for Arab- Israeli peace. Bold steps by Israel to empower the Palestinian Authority, based on the transition envisioned in previous agreements, could bring benefits to the Palestinian people and increase Israeli security.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“That would demonstrate that Israelis and Palestinians are serious about building trust and laying the foundations for meaningful negotiations that would end the occupation based on the 1967 lines, establish a viable, independent Palestinian State, and resolve all final status issues. But there are also major obstacles. As I have consistently stated, Israel's settlement activity beyond the 1967 line is in flagrant Violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Settlements eat away at the land meant for a future Palestinian State. Over the past decade, the number of Israelis living in settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has increased by some 30 per cent to about 600,000 people.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“An agreement, sadly, came too slowly for those who paid a heavy price during those 50 days of horror. I said then and I continue to insist that without addressing the deeper causes of this conflict, such cycles of escalation will persist. Yet another troubling measure of the current state of play is that, during my tenure, the Security Council has adopted only two resolutions on the Middle East peace process, the most recent almost eight years ago. We are fast approaching a precipice as a direct result of the actions of those seeking to destroy the prospects for peace. But there is a way out of this deadlock - by both sides implementing the recommendations in the recent report of the Middle East Quartet.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“As I took office 10 years ago, the Middle East was still recovering from the years of the second Palestinian uprising and the war between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006. The reaffirmation by the League of Arab States of the Arab Peace Initiative and the convening of the Annapolis conference in 2007 brought some hope. Despite early optimism, attempts to reach a final resolution failed to make headway and were upended with the eruption of conflict in Gaza in December 2008. Further attempts at peace in 2010 and 2013 were equally eclipsed by renewed hostilities. The summer of 2014 saw the most devastating conflict in Gaza to date. During the height of the fighting, I traveled to the region and met with regional and international partners, as well as with the leadership in Israel and Palestine, to push for a ceasefire.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“The expanding Israeli settlement enterprise and an ever- more entrenched status quo is preventing Palestinian development and locking in Gaza. Some Israeli politicians increasingly call for the so-called full annexation of the West Bank. Gaza and the West Bank remain politically divided, and Palestinian factions fail to make the compromises necessary for national unity. Israelis feel that there is no end in sight to terrorism, as incitement and calls for Israel's obliteration continue unchallenged by Palestinian leaders. The framework for peace remains unchanged - the establishment oftwo States, on the basis ofthe principle of land for peace and a just and comprehensive regional peace consistent with relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as with existing agreements signed between the parties.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“As the Security Council has made clear, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been under military occupation since 1967. These lands comprise the future Palestinian State, ultimately to be agreed by the parties through direct negotiations. History has shown that peace and security can be built only on the basis of respect and mutual acceptance. The right of the Jewish people to have a State does not negate the right of the Palestinian people to statehood. Yet Palestinian frustration and grievances are growing under the weight of nearly half a century of humiliating occupation. Ten years ago, the majority of both peoples believed in the two-State solution; today, that majority is unravelling. Leaders on both sides increasingly speak to their ever more radicalized constituencies, rather than to each other.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“Today, I report to the Security Council for the last time on the situation in the Middle East. It saddens me that my last such briefing brings no sense of optimism for the future. Some may ask why, given all the crises in the region, I have chosen to address the Council on the question of Palestine. To them, I say that while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the cause of the wars in the Middle East, its resolution can create momentum for peace throughout the region. In 1947, on the basis of General Assembly resolution 181 (II), the world recognized the two-State solution and called for the emergence of independent Arab and Jewish States. On 14 May 1948, the State of Israel was born. Almost seven decades later, the world still awaits the birth of the Palestinian State.”
2016-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7839 (2016) · source
“It has been a privilege and an honour to serve it. I thank the Council for supporting me and our indispensable Organization.”
2016-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7836 (2016) · source
“Some striking examples of that include the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations, formed to achieve the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, and the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response to fight the epidemic in West Africa. But where unity is lacking, such as on the question of Western Sahara, the consequences can be profound, and in the case of South Sudan, even catastrophic. However, my deepest regret as I leave office is the continuing nightmare in Syria. I once again plead with all the members of the Council to cooperate and fulfil their collective responsibility to protect Syrian civilians. The Security Council holds the key to peace and progress for some of the world's most vulnerable people.”
2016-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7836 (2016) · source
“I would particularly like to highlight its mainstreaming of the subject of women and peace and security into its agenda. I encourage it to continue its important work in that regard, and I know that my successor, Antonio Guterres, will be a most determined ally in that. I would also like to commend the progress that the Council has made in addressing sexual violence in conflict. While Council reform continues to be discussed in intergovernmental negotiations, the Council has increased its flexibility, transparency and efficiency. I urge it to continue its work to advance not just early warning but early preventive action, including through a greater focus on human rights and greater involvement on the part of civil society. I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the Council is strongest when it is united.”
2016-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7836 (2016) · source
“The Council's decision to establish the Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo set an important precedent in addressing the challenges in the eastern part of that country. The United Nations Mission in Nepal played a key role in supporting the country's peace process and the free and fair election of its Constituent Assembly in 2008, culminating in the completion of the Mission's mandate in 2011. Other successes include the paths to stability that have been found in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia. We also deepened partnerships with regional organizations, particularly the African Union. During my tenure, the Council has also consolidated the normative framework in relation to some very important cross-cutting items.”
2016-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7836 (2016) · source
“I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and your excellent Korean pronunciation. I am very touched. I would like to thank the Council for this tribute. I am deeply honoured by the recognition I have been given. It has been a great privilege to work with all the Security Council members over the past 10 years. The Council's role in maintaining international peace and security is as daunting and necessary as it was 70 years ago, when the United Nations was founded. Over the past decade, I have witnessed at first-hand the Council's capacity for innovative thinking. During my tenure, it established more than a dozen peacekeeping operations and special political missions, some of them incorporating novel approaches in order to respond to complex situations.”
2016-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7836 (2016) · source
“The current battle needs to be followed by an immediate end to violence by all sides and unfettered humanitarian access through genuine engagement without preconditions, around the political tools we already possess, including resolution 2254 (2015).”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“It would also send a frightening signal to the millions who have already fled the violence, rendering the Syrian refugee population semi-permanent and placing further pressure on the region and on Europe. The Council has repeatedly affirmed that an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people is the only way to find a sustainable solution to this wretched conflict. It is past time for the Council to act - and to force others to act - on that prescription. Aleppo should represent the end of the quest for military victory, not the start of a broader military campaign in a country already ravaged beyond all recognition by five years of war.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“The Syrian conflict will not end as a result of what happens on the battlefield in the next days and weeks. Military advances will not solve the refugee crisis, nor will the defeat of ISIL and its poisonous ideology be complete when Mosul and Raqqa are ultimately liberated. That is wishful thinking. Just this week, Colombian President and Nobel Peace Laureate Juan Manuel Santos warned us that a final victory through force, when non-violent alternatives exist, is nothing other than the defeat of humankind itself. In Syria the consequences of such a de-humanizing approach could be to further accelerate radicalization leading to the next iteration of Al-Qaida and ISIL.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“That does not mean that I discount the importance of fighting terrorism or the need to combat the confirmed presence of the listed terrorist group the Al-Nusra Front in eastern Aleppo. In fact, I support and agree with that, but, as my Special Envoy has argued, should the presence of fewer than a 1,000 fighters determine the fate of tens, and possibly hundreds of thousands, of civilians? Context also matters. No one disputes that Al-Nusra Front fighters are indeed present in Aleppo. But they are also present in larger numbers and concentrations elsewhere in Syria. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is not known to be present in Aleppo, but it appears to have exploited the focus on Aleppo by the Syrian Government and its allies to go on the offensive in Palmyra.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“As the battle for Aleppo concludes, I call on the Syrian authorities and their allies, Russia and Iran, to honour their obligations under international humanitarian law to do the following: urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area, and facilitate access for all humanitarian actors and the delivery of critically important assistance. The laws of war and universal human rights must be respected. In recent days and hours, we appear to be witnessing nothing less an all-out effort by the Syrian Government and its allies to end the country's internal conflict through a total, uncompromising military victory. I do not accept recent statements by the Syrian Government and the Russian Ministry of Defence that there were no opposition groups or humanitarian organizations present in eastern Aleppo.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“But when presented with opportunities to do so over the past three months, the Council failed to do it. Since September, the Security Council has failed to adopt three draft resolutions that could have enabled a humanitarian truce, the evacuation of civilians and the entry of lifesaving aid. I have said before that we have collectively failed the people of Syria. The Security Council has not exercised its pre-eminent responsibility with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security. History will not easily absolve us, but that failure compels us to do even more to offer the people of Aleppo our solidarity at this moment. The immediate task is to do all we can to stop the carnage.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“The Security Council and Member States have repeatedly emphasized the importance of early warning and prevention as critical to addressing the challenges of international peace and security. There was an abundance of early warning given to the Council regarding the situation in Aleppo. Most notably, my Special Envoy repeatedly warned over the past several months that eastern Aleppo could be destroyed by the end of the year if urgent action were not taken. He proposed concrete measures to address concerns regarding the Al-Nusra Front without risking unnecessary loss of life or destruction of parts of one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Inaddition,the GeneralAssemblyhasoverwhelmingly voted to urge preventive action by the Council on Aleppo.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“The Russian Federation's Reconciliation Centre has also reportedly registered allegations of torture and execution, as described by residents fleeing eastern Aleppo. We understand that there are ongoing negotiations between the parties for an evacuation deal, facilitated by Russia and Turkey. We support those efforts and stand ready to help implement and oversee such an agreement, which we understand may now be imminent. We remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to prioritize the safe passage of civilians out of eastern Aleppo and to ensure that those who have surrendered or have been captured are treated humanely and in line with international law.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“It also reported that 2,215 militants had lain down weapons and left eastern Aleppo, and that the Russian military was continuing to demine eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods and had completed the demining of more than 31 hectares of urban structures, as well as 18 kilometres of roads. The Russian Defence Ministry has also stated that no opposition, humanitarian organizations or human rights defenders are present in Aleppo and that eastern Aleppo had been under the full control of terrorists. It has also suggested that the estimate of 250,000 besieged civilians was overstated and has emphasized that terrorists held over 100,000 civilians as human shields in eastern Aleppo and left as soon as presented with the opportunity to do so.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source
“Nor do we have accurate data about the number that remain in the opposition-controlled pocket of eastern Aleppo, because all of the health and governance entities capable of counting the living and the dead have effectively dissolved into the chaos. Moreover, the Syrian authorities have systematically denied us a presence on the ground to directly verify reports. However, that does not mean that the reports that we are receiving are not credible - we are confident that civilians number in the thousands. Meanwhile, yesterda the Russian Defence Ministry reported that it had helped more than 100,000 civilians leave eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods, including 40,484 children, and that it had supplied 78 tons of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7834 (2016) · source