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

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

“The third key set of recommendations focuses on strong dialogue with partners, which is crucial for devising more tailored mandates and strengthening the Council's political engagement. Deeper engagement with regional partners is a must. We need to institutionalize consultation and dialogue and, where appropriate, collaborate in planning and conducting peace operations. We need to provide effective support to our partners, and that must start with the African Union, our key regional partner today. Similarly, the relationship between the Security Council and troop and police contributors is fundamental to effective peace operations. We need deeper understanding of our respective expectations, capacities and constraints. We need to engage well before a peace operation is mandated on what is required and what is available.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“Equally, we need members' engagement when things do not go well. Where United Nations peace operations have a mandate to protect civilians, they must use all tools, including, where necessary, the use of force. But that does not replace the search for political settlements; it makes the engagement of the members of the Council more critical. Likewise, when there is a failure to act in the face of threats to civilians, I will inform the Council. I request, in turn, that members engage, politically and operationally, to help redress such situations. I am making a similar request on issues of misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse. If the Security Council demonstrates that it will remain engaged in the conduct ofa mission and actions by its personnel, that can be a powerful performance incentive.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“I have directed my own Office to take on additional responsibility to help improve the way we develop - and ultimately provide the Council with - timely, high-quality analysis, options and proposed courses of action. We are also strengthening the quality and timeliness of our reporting. The Council has a responsibility to ensure that peacekeepers are equipped to carry out their tasks. That means ensuring that we have the range of capabilities required for increasingly complex and dangerous modern peace operations. High operational readiness, standby arrangements, agile field support and high-quality medical care are essential. Troop and police contributors need support in generating critical enablers, and United Nations administrative practices need to be streamlined and adapted.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“I also endorse the Panel's recommendation for sequenced mandates. A sequenced approach can reinforce efforts to focus on urgent protection and political tasks. It can provide greater opportunity for the Security Council and peace operations to engage with national actors and regional partners, and better direct efforts towards national priorities. A sequenced approach can also better match capabilities to tasks and exposes gaps. Sequenced and prioritized mandates will depend on the Council receiving better and more regular assessments from the Secretariat. I am putting in place a range of measures to strengthen United Nations analysis and planning at Headquarters, in our field missions and across the United Nations system.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“I will encourage my Special Representatives to focus their briefings on the status of political efforts and to identify risks, challenges and opportunities for progress. We will be more forthright on the role that the Council itself can and should play. That could include engaging members' representatives in the countries that host our missions who can project the Council's collective determination in their engagement with all parties. A second area where Security Council action can strengthen peace operations is in better design and implementation of our mandates. Mandates need to be better tailored to a specific conflict environment, and able to adapt as conflicts evolve. Good progress is being made to prioritize mandates so that missions are given realistic and achievable tasks.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“Time and again, we have seen missions prevented from performing their mandated tasks by an array of administrative obstacles and other restrictions. In order to act early, we need timely information. I have committed to provide the Council with frank and timely briefings on situations of escalating concern, particularly those situations where civilians are at grave risk. Regional offices and my Special Envoys are invaluable in supporting early and effective political engagement. My Rights Up Front initiative seeks to focus the attention of the United Nations system on the prevention of serious and large-scale violations of human rights. Where missions are deployed, we need to devote greater attention to the political strategies that they support.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“The Council's public statements and private messaging to the parties shape perceptions and actions on the ground. The Council's engagement with regional and other stakeholders and, where appropriate, the use of sanctions, can change the incentives of key parties and play a role in reducing the flow of arms and money that fuel conflicts. The Council's engagement can help prevent a conflict from spreading and enhance the support provided to affected civilians. Such early engagement is most effective when it is collective, when it is done in partnership with regional players and when it is sustained over time. The engagement of the Council with host Governments is also critical to ensure that they fulfil their obligations with regard to the safety, security and freedom of movement of uniformed peacekeepers and civilian staff.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“Let me briefly address each. First, on political engagement, peace operations are political tools. They are deployed by the Council to advance and support a political settlement to a conflict. They are the signal of international commitment to help find and sustain political solutions. The Council's political engagement even before authorizing a peace operation is critical and remains essential throughout the life of a mission. A central finding of the review is that prevention is the most effective means of tackling the escalating costs of conflict. It is also the best way of supporting national and regional partners who are and must be the front line of prevention. Committed efforts among Council members to unite around a shared political strategy to de-escalate tensions can have apowerful effect.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“Strengthening peace operations is a collective task that will require the collaboration of many actors. In my implementation report, I identified those areas where the Secretariat can take concrete actions. I also signalled those areas where the engagement of Member States, the General Assembly and the Security Council is essential. I also highlighted the importance of partnership to achieve our goals. The focus of the meeting today is on the role that the Security Council can play in strengthening peace operations. The Panel offered a number of recommendations, and I put forward concrete proposals for their implementation. The recommendations cover three broad areas: first, political engagement; secondly, the design and implementation of United Nations peace operations; and, thirdly, reinvigorated partnerships.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“The demands of conflict are also putting enormous burdens on our peace and security tools, particularly United Nations peace operations. Peacekeeping and special political missions are deployed for more places, in more configurations, than ever before. They are struggling to implement complex mandates. Our systems are straining at the scale of operations. We are not always responding with the speed and effectiveness required. We have difficulty in keeping pace with the evolution of each conflict. We are finding it harder to end conflicts and to sustain peace. That is why I asked an eminent Panel chaired by Mr. Jose Ramos-Horta, former President ofTimor-Leste, to look at how the full range of United Nations peace operations could be adapted to meet today's challenges.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“It is a pleasure to join members today. I am grateful to the presidency of the United Kingdom for organizing this important meeting. This is the first time the Security Council will consider the recommendations of the High-level Panel on Peace Operations and my recommendations in the implementation report (8/2015/682). I hope this will be the start of sustained dialogue and action to strengthen United Nations peace operations. I launched the peace operations initiative out of profound concern over the scale and intensity of conflict today. The human, political and financial costs of conflict continue to mount. Political failures are resulting in insecurity, injustice and deprivation for millions of people today and fuelling the conflicts of tomorrow.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7564 (2015) · source
“We also need to be bold when necessary, for example in rebuilding Syria and supporting the countries that are generously hosting large numbers of refugees, including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. There is a growing global call for a recovery plan for the region, perhaps akin to the Marshall Plan in scale. I urge the Security Council to give this idea due consideration when the day arrives, as I know we hope it will soon. The human costs of our failures can be seen in all too many places. The suffering and setbacks weigh heavily on my conscience, as they should on us all. At the same time, we have the tools with which to do better. Let us use them.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“We are grateful that the Council has received briefings by the Secretariat on situations of concern on a systematic basis. Now we should strive for the day when Member States take early and effective action on such situations. We look to Member States to more fully embrace Human Rights Up Front as a means to protect their people and strengthen their sovereignty. Thirdly, we need to strengthen coherence among all actors. The 2030 Agenda calls on us to move from silos to synergy; to move from fragmentation to partnership. The United Nations system must pool its strengths to bring strong analysis to the Security Council and Peacebuilding Commission. Fourthly, we need adequate, predictable financing for our good offices and mediation work; for our country teams and for the Peacebuilding Fund.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“Human Rights Up Front calls for three types of change within the United Nations system: cultural change to ensure that staff recognize prevention and protection as a core responsibility; operational change to streamline our analysis and deploy teams with small footprints to assist national authorities before crises emerge; and earlier and more transparent engagement with national authorities and other Member States on deteriorating situations. The initiative is being rolled out. A system for early warning and quick response is in place. Staffhave a better understanding of how their work reinforces pillars other than their own. And in a number of instances, Human Rights Up Front has enabled the United Nations system to react to warning signs more quickly and effectively than in the past.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“Well-timed development measures can help at critical moments when societies are emerging from conflict and risk lapsing back into it. Prevention is not something to be turned on and turned off; it should instead be an integral part of United Nations action in all contexts. Secondly, a heightened focus on prevention means a sharper focus on human rights. Violations of human rights are often our best early warning signs of trouble, yet too often Member States and the United Nations system itself have been reluctant to recognize the centrality of human rights.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“We are not yet properly integrating United Nations action across the interdependent pillars of our work: peace, development and human rights. Today, I should like to make four main points. First, we must focus greater energy on prevention. We have long known this. Now the message is coming through again from the recent major reviews of peace operations, peacebuilding and the women and peace and security agenda. Prevention demands the concerted use of preventive diplomacy and good offices, but it also means that the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals must become a bigger part of our strategies. Development that leaves people behind sows the seeds of instability and violence. Well-targeted development assistance can help to address risk factors such as inequality and marginalization.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“Members will all recall that in the 2005 Summit Outcome, world leaders declared that "development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing" (General Assembly resolution 60/1, para. 9). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1) builds on that understanding by taking an integrated approach, and by including Goal 16 on achieving peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice and building accountable institutions. Today's violent conflicts and violent extremism are often rooted in a mix of exclusion, inequality, mismanagement of natural resources, corruption, oppression, governance failures, and the frustration and alienation that accompany a lack of jobs and opportunities. Yet our responses have not caught up to these realities.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“There was also consensus on the need for our response to uphold the rule of law and to avoid being ruled by fear and inflaming tensions further still. I am especially concerned about reprisals or further discrimination against Muslims, in particular Muslim refugees and migrants. That would just exacerbate the alienation on which terrorists feed. The world must come together to defeat terrorist groups, to bring perpetrators to justice and to break the vicious cycle of radicalization. Today's discussion here in the Security Council is therefore especially timely. I again thank the United Kingdom for focusing the attention of the Security Council on security, development and the root causes of conflicts.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“I thank the United Kingdom for convening this discussion. I would like to start by offering my condolences to the Government and people of France for the losses of life and injuries in the atrocious terrorist attack of last Friday. In the aftermath of other terrorist bombings in recent days in Beirut and Baghdad, and the apparent bombing of a Russian aeroplane, we see the continuing peril of terrorism and, indeed, the mounting threat from Daesh. No grievance or cause can justify such acts. I have just returned from the Group of 20 leaders meeting, which was held in Antalya, Turkey, where I was encouraged by the shared resolve to combine security- based counter-terrorism measures with preventive steps that address governance failures, injustice, exclusion and other drivers of extremist violence.”
2015-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7561 (2015) · source
“Let us heed the call for action and work together to empower women and girls, protect their human rights and advance world peace for everyone - all cornerstones of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a life of security and dignity for all.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“Radhika Coomaraswamy, the high-level advisory group, UN-Women and other United Nations entities, Member States and civil society for their important contributions. At a time when armed extremist groups place the subordination of women at the top of their agenda, we must place women's leadership and the protection of women's rights at the top of ours. In the face ofdaunting challenges, I am encouraged and inspired by the recent commitments of everyone from world leaders to grass- roots activists. I expect a similar level of determination and ambition from the long list of Member States that have requested to participate in this open debate today.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“I personally commit to do all I can to ensure that we reach the target of devoting 15 per cent of peacebuilding funds to projects that address gender equality and the empowerment of women. We must also expand this target to our efforts in emerging areas of peace and security threats, in particular the countering of violent extremism. The Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) will present these and other commitments as part of the highlights of my annual report on women and peace and security. In preparation for this high-level review, I commissioned an independent expert's assessment. The global study on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) is an important part of the United Nations agenda for change. I thank the lead author, Ms.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“With my appointment of a Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, we have seen strategic leadership and unprecedented advances on this critical aspect of the women and peace and security agenda. We must ensure that these gains are reinforced, particularly the concerted focus on prevention, accountability and the critical needs of survivors of sexual violence. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will ensure that the outcomes and commitments of the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul in May, have a strong focus on gender equality. We will also boost efforts to ensure that women and girls affected by crises are systematically prioritized in the planning and implementation of humanitarian responses.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is restructuring the gender architecture at Headquarters and in field missions, strengthening the partnership with UN-Women and improving the accountability of senior managers. The Department of Political Affairs has highlighted the need to deploy gender advisers to all special political missions. It is working to bolster the capacity of its gender team at Headquarters and to keep expanding the engagement and participation of women in peacemaking. The Department of Field Support is implementing strengthened measures to address sexual exploitation and abuse, and to increase the representation of women in peacekeeping, especially at the senior management level.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“One common theme has emerged: any reforms must include gender equality and women's leadership as central ingredients and must be strongly grounded in human rights. We must also pay particular attention to those women who are most vulnerable. Facing a compound disadvantage of gender and ethnicity, indigenous women suffer from multiple forms of discrimination, especially in times of conflict. We must also do much more to combat the growing spread of violent extremism. Groups such as Daesh and Boko Haram have mercilessly targeted women and girls. For example, the systematic acts carried out by Daesh against the Yazidi community, which include killings, torture, rape and sexual slavery, may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We must ensure accountability. As we look ahead, we have an ambitious agenda.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1) emphasizes the centrality of gender equality and the need to step up our efforts for women's empowerment to achieve Planet 50-50. Our strategies for implementing resolution 1325 (2000) must be aligned with the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals. On the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), I suggested that the Council convene a ministerial-level review every five years to assess progress, renew commitments and address obstacles. I thank Member States for having come forward today to share their achievements. I look forward to hearing their plans for even stronger action. This year we have conducted three major reviews of United Nations peace operations, our peacebuilding architecture, and women and peace and security.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“I thank the Spanish presidency of the Security Council for organizing this important meeting. (spoke in English) Fifteen years ago, resolution 1325 (2000) underscored the pivotal link between gender equality and international peace and security. Since then, the Council has adopted several resolutions on women and peace and security, each of them a call to action for the international community. I am personally committed to implementing those resolutions. I have highlighted women's leadership in peacebuilding as a priority. I have appointed five women Who are now serving as my Special Representatives in peacekeeping missions from Haiti to Cote d'Ivoire, from the Western Sahara and South Sudan to Cyprus. I have also appointed the first-ever female Force Commander, Major General Kristin Lund, in Cyprus. But all of us must do much more.”
2015-10-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7533 (2015) · source
“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (General Assembly resolution 70/1), with its focus on justice, inclusive institutions and resilience, also has a strong preventive dimension. A more sustainable world will be a safer world. Conflicts, governance failures and systematic Violations of human rights are affecting not only the Middle East and North Africa, but the world at large. Women and girls are facing systematic brutality. Young people are having their futures taken away from them before they have barely had a chance to dream. We must work together to stop this downward spiral, using all United Nations tools. The people of the Middle East and North Africa deserve our full support in meeting these tests and steering the region towards a path of freedom, safety and dignity for all.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“During the course of this session of the General Assembly, I will present to the Member States a comprehensive plan of action outlining ways we can work together in this endeavour. The plan of action will recommend ways that Member States can address the drivers of violent extremism at the global, regional, national and local levels. It will also set out how the United Nations system can support Member States through a holistic all-of-United Nations approach encompassing peace and security, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian action. The current reviews of peace operations and peacebuilding are also underscoring the importance of addressing root causes.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“Next year, Member States will mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. With the Strategy now long-established as the accepted framework for action, we must push for more concrete implementation. Those efforts must be balanced and anchored in international human rights law. We must also have a keen sense of the need to avoid unintended consequences. The United Nations is working with many partners to expand capacity-building assistance to Member States, including to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and to address the related ills ofillicit drug-trafficking and cybercrime. It is not enough to counter terrorism; we must also prevent violent extremism, while taking care not to take steps that only breed the resentment and alienation on which violent extremism feeds.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“The situation in Syria has proven to be the most intractable. It has generated one peril after another: the use of chemical weapons, the rise of ISIL and other extremist groups, the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War and the displacement of 8 million people inside the country. We need to take urgent measures to protect civilians from widespread violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. We have an obligation to the Syrian people to help ensure accountability for serious crimes. I appeal to the Council to strongly support my Special Envoy's efforts to promote a comprehensive and credible political transition based on the Geneva communique (S/2012/523, annex). Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen are our common concerns and the resolution of their crises is our shared responsibility.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“I thank the Russian Federation for organizing this very important meeting, and I take this opportunity to express my deep thanks to the many Foreign Ministers who are participating in this meeting. The number of participating Foreign Ministers is impressive. I hope that this kind of solidarity will always be with us as we address the many subjects with which we are seized. The Middle East and North Africa are in the midst of some of the deadliest conflicts and worst humanitarian emergencies of our times. Terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Qaida affiliates, are elevating the horror and complicating the search for solutions. While each is very different, the crises and conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen all expose similar horrors.”
2015-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7527 (2015) · source
“Our views may diverge at times, but as long as we are committed to peace, security and human rights, we will stay on course to a more secure future.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“The Panel rightly underscores the primacy of the United Nations Charter and other international human rights and humanitarian law instruments. United Nations support to regional partners is contingent on compliance with United Nations norms and standards, including the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy, the highest standards of conduct and discipline, the United Nations financial rules and regulations, as well as other legislated procedures. We are all accountable for what we do and how we do it. Our ultimate responsibility is to the peoples we serve. We have succeeded in dramatically enhancing our partnerships. We have come to rely on each other in critical times. We will continue to advance progress. The United Nations and regional organizations strive for a common approach to today's challenges.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“We should place high expectations on the countries concerned and help them to realize lasting stability. Our partnerships have brought valuable lessons. We have learned to manage transitions from regional operations to United Nations peacekeeping missions. We have provided a logistics support package to the African Union Mission in Somalia - the AU' s largest peace operation. The United Nations Office to the AU is strengthening our impact. Now we must optimize our collaboration even more. We must continue working together to harmonize standards. That would improve the transition from AU operations to United Nations peacekeeping missions. More systematic coordination and consultation on policies, guidance and training standards would ensure coherence at all phases, from planning to drawdown. Human rights must always be at the forefront.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“The United Nations broad support for the AU and the Economic Community of West African States also includes political cooperation, which is difficult to quantify but still highly valuable. Strengthening conflict prevention and mediation saves lives. Our joint efforts have made a meaningful difference in defusing tensions and supporting the transition in Burkina Faso, encouraging political dialogue ahead of elections in Guinea, resolving the electoral crisis in Kenya and ending a political deadlock in Madagascar through a Southern African Development Community road map, among other engagements. Investing in prevention will spare the much higher human and financial costs of a crisis. Leaders must recognize that peace will prevent humanitarian tragedies and spur economic development.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“I honour the courage of those AU troops who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. The best tribute is to establish lasting security where they served. The report calls for greater support to Security Council-authorized AU peace operations. The experts recommend that the United Nations enable regional organizations to share the burden, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Towards that end, I draw attention to the Panel's call for more predictable financing, including through the use of United Nations- assessed contributions. There are other important forms of support. We are helping with planning processes, logistical packages, United Nations-managed trust funds and access to United Nations expertise, systems, materiel and services.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“We should also be open to different forms of engagement with other organizations, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the League of Arab States, NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Panel recommends that we deepen the strategic United Nations-AU partnerships. I fully agree. Almost two thirds of our peace operations and nearly 90 per cent of our uniformed peacekeepers are deployed in Africa. I applaud the AU and the regional economic communities and regional mechanisms for significantly strengthening their capacities and for responding rapidly to emerging crises. In Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia, the African Union has deployed robust operations in complex settings. That dangerous work carries a high price.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“To close the gap, last year I called for a fresh review of peace operations. I am now analyzing the report of the High-level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (see S/2015/446). We are identifying the recommendations we can carry out immediately, and those that will require action by legislative bodies, Member States and partners. The Panel calls for a stronger global-regional partnership to ensure that the Council can draw on a more resilient and capable network of actors. In recent years, we have seen how practical cooperation among the United Nations, the African Union (AU) and the European Union has enhanced progress in Africa. Now we need to build on this trilateral cooperation and boost our collective ability to manage, plan and execute peace operations.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“We count on them for political leverage, as well as civilian and military capacities. Members of the Security Council are all too aware of the changing nature of conflict. Terrorism and the spread of violent extremism are destabilizing volatile regions. The stakes are high in any response. Urbanization, unemployment and population movements, including massive displacement, are increasing dramatically. Technological advances in warfare, including cyberthreats, pose grave dangers to civilians. Against that shifting security landscape, the United Nations is deploying into fragile and remote environments with little peace to keep. The Security Council has rightly given our Blue Helmets ambitious mandates to protect civilians, but too often we lack the proper equipment, resources and training for that life-saving mission.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“I welcome this opportunity to discuss regional organizations and contemporary global security challenges. I thank Ambassador ngu for Nigeria's initiative to organize this very important meeting. I have always valued cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, which have gained greater influence in recent years. Today I will focus on how to strengthen partnerships so that we can improve our collective response to evolving threats. My message is simple: the United Nations increasingly shares responsibility for peace and security with regional organizations. We should do everything possible to help them resolve regional problems - and to include the States concerned in solutions. At the same time, regional organizations should continue contributing to United Nations peace and security efforts.”
2015-08-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7505 (2015) · source
“Now we have the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (General Assembly resolution 69/15, Annex) to guide us. Combatting climate change, promoting sustainable development and addressing the vulnerabilities of SIDS will demand partnership, capacity and leadership. Today, let us commit the resources of the United Nations system as a reliable partner to small island developing States as we work together for sustainable development and a life of dignity for all.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“On piracy, Mauritius and Seychelles have been at the forefront of international cooperation in the Indian Ocean to apprehend and prosecute Somali pirates. CARICOM. and the Pacific Islands Forum have helped focus the attention of the international community on the heightened vulnerabilities that SIDS face and demand that the international community be attuned to these issues. But small island developing States do not have the resources to combat such threats by themselves. We can only secure their sustainable and peaceful future through global partnership. Some 20 years ago, in Barbados, Governments made a global commitment to the sustainable development of SIDS (see A/CONF.l67/9). That bond was strengthened in Mauritius in 2005 (see A/CONF.207/ll, Annex II).”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“Caribbean SIDS are vulnerable to drug-trafficking and gang-related violence, which affect security and development. And with exclusive economic zones often larger than their land areas, SIDS also face the challenge of managing fisheries and preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which undermines economies and contribute to insecurity. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, through its Maritime Crime Programme, is focusing on heroin trafficking, human trafficking, wildlife crime and fisheries crime. The programme works with States to introduce legislation, in line with international conventions, that will help to improve investigations and strengthen criminal justice responses against maritime crime.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“Many SIDS have been accelerating their own transition to renewable energy to secure a sustainable energy future. We must support SIDS in their actions to combat climate change and adapt to its impacts. To that end, we need a politically credible trajectory for mobilizing the pledged $100 billion per year by 2020. The Green Climate Fund will need to be up and running before COP 21 in Paris in December, with projects and funding ready to go, especially for the most vulnerable. And, finally, we will need to ensure that a meaningful, universal climate agreement is adopted. Climate change is not the only peace and security challenge facing the peoples and Governments of SIDS. SIDS are also focusing as never before on the menace of transnational organized crime. The threats include drug trafficking, human trafficking, piracy and wildlife crime.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“SIDS are on the front lines of climate change. Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu was only the latest in a long string of devastating events that SIDS have endured and will continue to endure as long as climate change is not adequately addressed. Caribbean countries sometimes experience as many as five hurricanes in a season. The Security Council has rightly highlighted the threat of climate change to international peace and security. Rising sea levels, dying coral reefs and the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters exacerbate the conditions leading to community displacement and migration. They threaten to increase tensions over resources and affect domestic and regional stability. Over the years, SIDS leaders have consistently called for global climate action. And they have been leading by example.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“Secondly, we need a post-2015 development agenda and sustainable development goals that address the needs of SIDS. At the recent International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa, it was encouraging to see the concerns of SIDS reflected, including in such critical areas as debt, trade, technology and official development assistance. Earlier this month, I participated in a summit meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) held in Barbados. The leaders of CARICOM, whose countries are also SIDS, all expressed these concerns and described these vulnerabilities. I hope that our debate will really make a great contribution to addressing the challenges and vulnerabilities of SIDS. Thirdly, we need to achieve a meaningful and universal global climate agreement in Paris in December.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“I hope that today's debate of the Security Council will have a very big impact on and make a great contribution to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21), to be held in Paris in December. Last year's Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Samoa, increased global attention not only to their contributions to sustainable development, but also to their unique vulnerabilities. The issues facing small island developing States (SIDS) are global challenges. They are our collective responsibility. Our first priority must be to support SIDS in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In spite of considerable efforts, progress has been uneven.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“I thank New Zealand and His Excellency Mr. Murray McCully, Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, for taking this very important and timely initiative to highlight the peace and security challenges facing small island developing States. I welcome the high level of participation in this debate, and thank Their Excellencies the Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Prime Minister of Samoa and the Minister of Finance of the Seychelles for their participation. I also take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks to the many ministers who have taken time to participate in this debate, and thank President Anote Tong of Kiribati for his participation.”
2015-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7499 (2015) · source
“It is our failure to act with a unified voice that perpetuates this harmful illusion and allows the Syrian parties to think that there is some alternative other than coming to the negotiating table. Today Mr. De Mistura and I will outline a way forward to reach the political solution that all claim to support. I urge the Council to give this proposal its full support. If it does not, the world expects this body to present a viable alternative.”
2015-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7497 (2015) · source