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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“In each case, the Council must attempt to balance the demands of peace and justice, conscious that they often compete and aware that there may be times when they cannot fully be reconciled. We have learned that the rule of law delayed is lasting peace denied and that justice is a handmaiden of true peace. Implementing these lessons is a tremendous challenge. I have today offered a few reflections on how we might meet that challenge. But I would also be prepared to make a further contribution to the deliberations of the Council on this issue. Above all, I hope that today's meeting heralds a new commitment from the Council to place issues of justice and the rule of law at the heart of its work in rebuilding war-torn countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“There are no easy answers to such moral, legal and philosophical dilemmas. At times, we may need to accept something less than full or perfect justice or to devise intermediate solutions such as truth and reconciliation commissions. We may need to put off the day when the guilty are brought to trial. At other times, we may need to accept, in the short-term, a degree of risk to peace in the hope that in the long-term peace will be more securely guaranteed. These are delicate problems for the United Nations to handle when it is involved in peace negotiations. Since 1999 I have given my envoys guidelines to assist them in such negotiations. They also present difficult dilemmas for this Council.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“There should be no amnesties for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The rights of the accused should be scrupulously protected. We should know that there cannot be real peace without justice, yet the relentless pursuit of justice may sometimes be an obstacle to peace. If we insist, at all times and in all places, on punishing those who are guilty of extreme violations of human rights, it may be difficult or even impossible to stop the bloodshed and save innocent civilians. If we always and everywhere insist on uncompromising standards of justice, a delicate peace may not survive. But equally, if we ignore the demands of justice simply to secure agreement, the, foundations of that agreement will be fragile, and we will set bad precedents.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“At the same time, we should remember that the process of achieving justice for victims may take many years, and it must not come at the expense of the more immediate need to establish the rule of law on the ground. Transitional justice mechanisms need to concentrate not only on individual responsibility for serious crimes, but also on the need to achieve national reconciliation. We need to tailor criminal justice mechanisms to meet the needs of victims and victim societies. If necessary, we should supplement courts with mechanisms such as truth and reconciliation commissions. At times, the goals of justice and reconciliation compete with each other. Each society needs to form a view about how to strike the right balance between them. Nevertheless, in striking that balance, certain international standards must be adhered to.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“Liberia will be the test case. The Council has responded to my recommendations by incorporating important rule of law components in authorizing the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). I hope that rule of law issues will retain their importance through the budgeting and deployment process, and I hope that the Council will build on this approach in the future in addressing other post-conflict situations. Let me say a few words about the question of justice for victims of past crimes. Ending the climate of impunity is vital to restoring public confidence and building international support to implement peace agreements.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“We also need high-quality personnel - women as well as men - who can be deployed quickly. We may have to reach outside the United Nations system to fill in gaps or make up for shortfalls in our expertise. We must base United Nations actions in this area in the Charter, in United Nations standards for human rights and the administration of justice and in the principles of international humanitarian law, human rights law, refugee law and criminal law. But a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Local actors must be involved from the start - local justice sector officials and experts from government, civil society and the private sector. We should, wherever possible, guide rather than direct, and reinforce rather than replace. The aim must be to leave behind strong local institutions when we depart. Have we taken these lessons to heart?”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“We must take a comprehensive approach to justice and the rule of law. It should encompass the entire criminal justice chain - not just police, but lawyers, prosecutors, judges and prison officers, as well as many issues beyond the criminal justice system. We must make better use of the resources we have. We have taken steps in-house to help all agencies work together so that we can identify issues of justice and the rule of law in our reports to this Council. I hope that will lead to improved decisions by the Council and better action in the field so that justice and rule of law components are integral parts of peace operations. We need more resources, of many kinds. The best mandates will get us nowhere without early, adequate and coordinated funding.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“And we have seen that elections held when the rule of law is too fragile seldom lead to lasting democratic governance. In addressing these issues, sensitive questions are involved - questions of sovereignty, tradition and security, justice and reconciliation. The task is not simply technically difficult. It is politically delicate. It requires us to facilitate the national formulation and implementation of an agenda to address these issues, to cultivate the political will and leadership for that task and to build a wide constituency for the process. Last year, we assembled a Task Force on the Rule of Law in Peace Operations. Its final report showed the real breadth of United Nations experience and expertise in this field. But it also demonstrated that we need to do much more.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“This Council has a very heavy responsibility to promote justice and the rule of law in its efforts to maintain international peace and security. This applies both internationally and in rebuilding shattered societies. It is the latter that I wish to speak about today. The United Nations, through many complex operations, has learned that the rule of law is not a luxury and that justice is not a side issue. We have seen people lose faith in a peace process when they do not feel safe from crime, or secure in returning to their homes, or able to start rebuilding the elements of a normal life, or confident that the injustices of the past will be addressed. We have seen that without credible machinery to enforce the law and resolve disputes, people resort to violent or illegal means.”
2003-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4833 (2003) · source
“And if you succeed in strengthening the security of United Nations staff, you will not only do what, in all conscience, is your duty; you will also increase the authority and effectiveness of the Council by making clear that you are determined to protect those whom you send into the field to implement your decisions.”
2003-08-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4814 (2003) · source
“Once again, I urge Member States in whose territories attacks against United Nations personnel have been committed to take practical and effective steps to investigate and prosecute those responsible for such crimes. I also urge those States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify and accede to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. And, members of the Council, I urge you today to adopt the timely draft resolution before you. I hope very much that you will pass it unanimously and that you will follow it up with action. In so doing, you will send an unambiguous message to all those who mistakenly believe that, in today's turbulent world, they can advance their cause by targeting the servants of humanity.”
2003-08-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4814 (2003) · source
“Attacks on humanitarian workers and on United Nations personnel have increased alarmingly. Again and again, peacekeepers or unarmed civilians who have voluntarily gone in to help their fellow men and women have been deliberately targeted by armed factions seeking to make a political point or a military gain or to intimidate the international community. Last week's vicious attack on our headquarters in Baghdad, with all its tragic consequences, has brought that vital issue to the forefront of our priorities. It shows us what we must expect if we allow the impression to continue gaining ground that international workers are a soft, cost-free target. Impunity for those who commit such unpardonabie crimes cannot stand. There must be action.”
2003-08-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4814 (2003) · source
“I wish to express my strong support for the draft resolution before the Council. I can think of no issue about which I feel more strongly as Secretary-General - and I believe none should be more important to each member of the Security Council - than the safety of those brave men and women who serve the Organization in the places where it matters most, that is, in zones of conflict and danger. It is of course a fact of life that much of our work is done in dangerous places, since that is where it is most sorely needed. But that only strengthens the obligation on all of us to take every step in our power to protect those working under the blue flag and to bring to justice those who attack or harm them. Regrettably, in recent years we have not lived up to that obligation.”
2003-08-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4814 (2003) · source
“In the final analysis, however, there will be no substitute for the resolve of the Congolese leaders to implement their commitment to peace. It is my sincere The Security Council has thus concluded the hope that they will continue to do so and thereby bring present stage of its consideration of the item on its an end to the terrible suffering that has been endured agenda. The Council will remain seized of the matter. by the Congolese people for too long. The meeting rose at 10.20 am.”
2003-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4797 (2003) · source
“Through resolution 1484 (2003), in which it authorized the Interim Emergency Multinational Force, the Council has shown that a timely and effective response by the international community can put an end to violence. That Interim Force has also served as an effective stop-gap mechanism, giving MONUC and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations sufficient time to deploy an expanded military force in Bunia. Through the resolution adopted today, the Security Council has placed MONUC, in coordination with United Nations agencies and donors, in a key role to help the Congolese achieve a sustainable peace leading up to a democratically elected Government. It will be necessary for the international community to provide the resources needed to implement this far- reaching resolution.”
2003-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4797 (2003) · source
“I congratulate the Security Council on unanimously adopting the resolution and giving the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) the strong mandate it needs to fulfil its difficult mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The political and military leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have taken important steps in the past month to inaugurate the Transitional Government. This is now in place. But the road ahead over the next two to three years towards free and fair elections will be difficult. I am grateful to the Council for its strong support, especially in relation to the situation in the north- eastern part of the country.”
2003-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4797 (2003) · source
“He has already consulted senior officials or heads of State from a number of countries and intends to expand these consultations to include all States concerned. I trust I can count on their cooperation. The challenge that awaits us in Iraq is enormous. Let us all do our utmost to rise to meet that challenge. We owe no less than that to the Iraqi people.”
2003-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4791 (2003) · source
“The United Nations will continue to play an active role in facilitating and supporting the political process, working together with the Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority. The people of Iraq are anxious for their country to become a stable, democratic and prosperous State. To succeed, they will need the support of their neighbours and the region as a whole. What happens in Iraq does not happen in vacuum. A stable Iraq - one that is at peace with itself and its neighbours - is in our collective interest, particularly that of the region. That is why I have instructed Mr. Vieira de Mello to engage in an ongoing dialogue with leaders of neighbouring countries and the region.”
2003-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4791 (2003) · source
“In all we do, we need to keep the interests of the Iraqi people at the forefront of our minds. We should listen to their needs, expressed by them in their terms, and we should try to respond. I believe that Sergio Vieira de Mello has been doing precisely that throughout his weeks in Baghdad and his visits to the region. Our collective goal remains an early end to the military occupation through the formation of an internationally recognized, representative Government. Meanwhile, it is vital that the Iraqi people should be able to see a clear timetable with a specific sequence of events leading to the full restoration of sovereignty as soon as possible. In practical terms, this means that the establishment of the Governing Council must be followed by a constitutional process run by Iraqis for Iraqis.”
2003-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4791 (2003) · source
“I wish, however, to take this opportunity to reiterate the following fundamental principles underlying the activities of the United Nations under resolution 1483 (2003) - principles which we all share: the need to respect the independence and territorial integrity of Iraq; the need to restore sovereignty to the people of Iraq as soon as possible; the need to respect the Iraqi people's right to determine their political future; the need to respect Iraq's sovereignty over its territory and natural resources; and the need for Iraq to be restored to the position of a full and responsible partner in the international community, at ease with its neighbours. Resolution 1483 (2003) provides a mandate for the United Nations to assist the people of Iraq in a wide range of areas.”
2003-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4791 (2003) · source
“I am delighted that my Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, is with us today. I am sure I speak for all of us in expressing warm gratitude to him, his staff and all of his team for their outstanding work so far. I should also say a special word of gratitude to the United Nations staff in Iraq - international and national - for their dedicated work in often difficult circumstances. Let me also welcome the presence here of the representatives of the Iraqi Governing Council; its formation is an important first step towards the full restoration of Iraqi sovereignty. The Council has before it my report (S/2003/715), which we have sought to make as comprehensive as possible under rapidly changing circumstances. I will leave it to my Special Representative to give a detailed account of his mission so far.”
2003-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4791 (2003) · source
“If that were to happen, it would undermine not only the authority of the ICC but also the authority of the Council and the legitimacy of United Nations peacekeeping. I am sure you understand, Mr. President, that such an outcome would cause me grave concern, and I would hope that this concern would be shared by all members of the Council.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“We must all hope, therefore, that this resolution will be without effect, since the situation it is designed to guard against will never arise. I felt it was reasonable last year to adopt this resolution for 12 months, to give Member States more time to study the Rome Statute, which was only then entering into force, and to digest its implications. And I can accept that the Council feels it is necessary to renew the request now for a further 12 months, since the Court is still in its infancy and no case has yet been brought before it. But allow me to express the hope that this does not become an annual routine. If it did, I fear the world would interpret it as meaning that the Council wished to claim absolute and permanent immunity for people serving in the operations it establishes or authorizes.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“Thirdly, under article 17 of the Rome Statute, no case is admissible in the ICC if it has already been or is being investigated or prosecuted by a State that has jurisdiction over it, unless that State is unwilling or unable genuinely to investigate or prosecute. I assume that, in the case of a person serving in an operation established or authorized by the Security Council being accused of the kind of crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the ICC - a case that we must all hope and expect would never occur - the home State of that person would be most anxious to investigate that accusation and, if the investigation showed that there was a prima facie case, to prosecute that person. The case would then not be admissible in the ICC.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“In the first place, I believe I can state confidently that in the history of the United Nations, and certainly during the period that I have worked for the Organization, no peacekeeper or any other mission personnel have been anywhere near committing the kind of crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. The Council's request therefore deals not only with a hypothetical case but with a highly improbably one. Secondly, people serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions remain under the jurisdiction of their home States. Whenever one of them is accused of committing a crime during a mission, that person is immediately repatriated and is dealt with by the national courts of his or her own country.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“I believe that that article was not intended to cover such a sweeping request, but only a more specific request relating to a particular situation. But I accept that the Council is acting in good faith, and that its purpose is to make it possible for peace operations to continue, whether established or only authorized by the Council, and for all Member States to take part in them, whether or not they are parties to the Rome Statute. Indeed, I fervently share that hope, and I am grateful to the Council for giving priority to the continuation of the Organization's vital peacekeeping work. I wish to place on record, however, that, in addition to my concern about its conformity with article 16 of the Rome Statute, I do not believe that request is necessary.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“Last year, in resolution 1422 (2002), the Security Council requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should, for a 12- month period starting 1 July 2002, not commence or proceed with investigation or prosecution of any case involving current or former officials or personnel from a contributing State not a party to the Rome Statute over acts or omissions relating to a United Nations established or authorized operation, unless the Council decided otherwise. The Council also expressed the intention to renew that request each 1 July for further 12-month periods, for as long as might be necessary. This is what the Council is now about to do. In taking that decision the Council will again rely on article 16 of the Rome Statute.”
2003-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4772 (2003) · source
“The full support of all members of the Council will be essential and I am confident that my Representative will have that support.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4761 (2003) · source
“Whatever differences there have been in the recent past, we now have a new basis on which to work, and we must all work very hard, keeping the interests of Iraqis at the forefront of all our efforts. Our most important task will be to ensure that the people of Iraq - men and women alike - are able as soon as possible, through a transparent and impartially managed political process, to form a free and representative Government of their own choice, so that they can regain their national sovereignty and build a stable and prosperous Iraq at peace with its neighbours. The United Nations will play its full part in this international effort. The Security Council has asked me to name a Special Representative to lead on our side. I will do so without delay.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4761 (2003) · source
“We should all be gratified that the Council has come together to chart the way forward in Iraq. As members know, I have always held that the unity of the Council is the indispensable foundation for effective action to maintain international peace and security and international law. The Council has adopted a resolution that spells out the assistance it expects the United Nations to give to the people of Iraq in coordination with the occupying Powers, which have the responsibility for the effective administration of the territory. The mandate which the Security Council has given us involves complex and difficult tasks, but we will carry it out to the best of our ability, just as we are already carrying out our vital task of humanitarian relief.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4761 (2003) · source
“And let us focus on implementation and action. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your initiative in putting this subject on the agenda of the Council during Pakistan's presidency. Recourse to Chapter VII may have increased in the past decade, but that does not lessen the importance of Chapter VI. The processes it sets out for the peaceful settlement of disputes and situations affecting international peace and security remain as relevant today as they have ever been.”
2003-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4753 (2003) · source
“While the primary responsibility for the pacific settlement of disputes rests with Governments and the parties to a dispute, the Council has many tools at its disposal and can play a key role, while pressing those directly involved to make peace, as the Council itself recognized in resolution 1366 (2001), on conflict prevention. The Council can help identify and address root causes early, when opportunities for constructive dialogue and other peaceful means are greatest. It can ensure an integrated approach that brings together all factors and all actors, including civil society. And it can support the other United Nations organs in their efforts to resolve disputes or to address volatile situations before they erupt into full-fledged threats to international peace and security. Let us be imaginative. Let us use what influence we have.”
2003-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4753 (2003) · source
“We have seen genuine displays of political will and instances where the Council has failed to dissuade the parties to a conflict from using force. The questions today are: what have we learned from these experiences, and how can we do better? My report on the prevention of armed conflict (S/2001/574) made a number of recommendations, including the use of regional prevention mechanisms, more frequent resort to the International Court of Justice and increased reporting by the United Nations system to the Security Council about serious violations of international law or of human rights, and about potential conflicts arising from ethnic, religious or territorial disputes, or from poverty or other factors.”
2003-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4753 (2003) · source
“It has entered into direct dialogue with the parties to conflict - for example, through its discussions with the Political Committee of the Lusaka Agreement. It has tried to work more closely with the Economic and Social Council and with regional and subregional organizations to prevent and resolve conflicts in Africa. The Council frequently calls on me to use my good offices as Secretary-General and has encouraged me to appoint a growing number of special representatives and envoys. And increasingly, Council members are venturing into the field - as they will later this week in West Africa - for a fact-finding mission, to review implementation of a peace agreement, to deliver messages or even to conduct negotiations. I think we would all agree that these efforts have achieved mixed results. We have seen both innovation and inertia.”
2003-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4753 (2003) · source
“It is good to see you again in New York, Mr. President. Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter, on the pacific settlement of disputes, stands at the heart of the Organization's system of collective security. Over the past 10 years, resolutions adopted under Chapter VII have been the better known, but the majority of the Council's work continues to be carried out under Chapter VI. While the framers of the Charter understood clearly the need for an enforcement mechanism and provided for the use of force against threats to international peace and security, their hopes for a better world lay in the peaceful resolution of armed conflicts. In recent years, the Council has used Chapter VI in various ways.”
2003-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4753 (2003) · source
“Beyond that, it will need to consider how best the international community can help Iraqis rebuild their country and what part the United Nations might play in assisting that effort and in the process of restoring Iraqi sovereignty. I hope I can rely on the Council to ensure that any mandate it entrusts to the United Nations is clear, coherent and matched by the necessary resources. In just over 20 years the Iraqi people have lived through three wars and over 10 years of harsh United Nations sanctions. Let us all set aside our past disagreements, ask what will help the Iraqi people most, and act accordingly.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“What is needed is an impartial, representative and transparent process leading to the choice, by Iraqis themselves, of a credible and legitimate Iraqi political authority to which sovereignty can be restored. I trust that the members of the Council would also agree on the need to put an end to Iraq's isolation and to help the people of Iraq, as quickly as possible, to establish conditions for a normal life. Over the coming weeks, the Council will have important decisions to take on existing mandates within the context of the new situation - notably on the issues of sanctions, the oil-for-food programme and weapons inspections.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Their interests must come first. The overriding objective must be to enable the Iraqi people to take charge of their own destiny. Already, in resolution 1472 (2003), the Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, its respect for the right of its people to determine their own political future and to control their own natural resources, and its belief that all parties must abide by their obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. I am sure all the members of the Council would agree that sovereignty implies political independence and that, in order to determine their political future, the Iraqi people must be free to choose their own system of Government and political leadership.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“The Council must be united in setting out the overall objectives for international assistance and a clear division of labour, and must then maintain its unity in providing strong political support, both during rough periods when progress is at risk and when the acute phase of the conflict has passed and no longer commands the attention of the world's media. In the case of Iraq, which, of course, we all have in mind at the moment, the Council now has the chance to leave behind earlier disagreements and to find unity of purpose in the post-war phase. Those decisions will not be easy, but they should not be impossible if the Council keeps some shared principles firmly in mind. As they debate those issues, I would urge Council members to set aside past divisions and to ask themselves what would help the Iraqi people most.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“The pacing of the overall process, and the sequence and timing of its component parts, are also crucial to success. They need to take into account the political, security and socio-economic conditions in the country, and the degree of support that can realistically be expected from interested members of the international community. Moving too slowly risks losing momentum and fuelling frustration; but going too fast can be equally counterproductive if it means taking hurried decisions whose effects are difficult to reverse. The regional dimension needs early and sustained attention. Lastly, there is a direct correlation between United Nations success and Security Council unity, and between United Nations setbacks and divisions among Council members, about the strategy to be pursued.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Priorities must be set, starting with the essential humanitarian needs of the population, which include the need for basic conditions of security, law and order. Meeting those needs will also make it easier to foster the conditions in which viable political processes can emerge and grow - for instance, by promoting reconciliation, good governance, the rule of law, human rights and transitional justice initiatives. Decisions on the reform of key State institutions and legal and political structures must, if they are to be sustainable in the long run, be taken by the people of the country themselves. Such a process can succeed only if all the main groups in the country or territory play a part in it, feel that it belongs to them and do not perceive it as leading to a predetermined outcome.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Is the international community able, and does it have the political will, to provide the necessary financial and human resources and to sustain that commitment long enough to ensure success? What are the preconditions for ensuring a self-sustaining and durable peace? What are the needs to be addressed, and in what order of priority? At what pace does the process need to run? A few specific lessons stand out from the recent case histories. The trust of the parties and the population can be fragile, and cannot be taken for granted over time; their consent needs to be cultivated and preserved. The role of the international community is not to solve all of a country's problems, but to help its people become self-reliant.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Therefore, one of the most important lessons when it comes to planning the international community's engagement in a new situation, such as the one we face now in Iraq, is the need first to reach a common understanding of what makes the crisis in question unique, and then to develop our responses accordingly. We should draw on previous experiences to make our responses as effective as possible, while bearing in mind that completely new approaches or forms of assistance may be required. That means that we need to begin by asking ourselves some fundamental questions, such as the following. Do the parties to the conflict seek, or welcome, international involvement, and, if so, for what purpose?”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“But the thing that stands out when we review international engagement in countries affected by conflict is that no single approach has ever been adopted twice, because no two conflicts or post- conflict situations are alike. Even the four recent cases of Afghanistan, Kosovo, Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone are very different from one another, in terms of the causes and consequences of the conflicts, the previous involvement of the United Nations, the political and legal context governing the international community's response, and the sheer size of the affected population and territory.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“Let me start by thanking you, Mr. President, and your Government for initiating this discussion of the lessons to be derived from the experience of the United Nations in previous conflict and post-conflict situations. As members know, the United Nations has been engaged in a wide range of activities in this area, from the negotiation of political settlements to profound institutional reconstruction efforts, including the creation of a new State. Reviewing such past experiences can tell us what we did well and what we did less well, and perhaps the reasons in those particular circumstances. It should also help us to improve our performance over time.”
2003-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4748 (2003) · source
“I hope that Council members will shortly authorize this mission so that the United Nations can strengthen its role in the Ivorian peace process. In conclusion, let me assure the ECOWAS ministers that the United Nations will continue to cooperate with them as we work together to help the Ivorian people recover the stability and prosperity for which their country was so well known in the past.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source
“At this critical time, when the various Ivorian parties have at last begun taking important steps to implement the Accord, ECOWAS has found it necessary to decide on a substantial increase in the size of ECOFORCE in order to make it more effective. I appeal to members of the Council, and the broader international community, to quickly provide ECOWAS with the additional financial resources that will be required to sustain ECOFORCE for the next six months. In order to complement the peacekeeping efforts launched by ECOWAS and France, I have recommended the establishment of a small United Nations operation comprising military liaison components, as well as human rights, civil affairs and media components.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source
“Albert Tevoedjre, is currently chairing the follow-up committee established in accordance with the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, and I am pleased at the progress that Prime Minister Seydou Diarra has made in establishing the new Government. The presence of such a high-level ECOWAS delegation shows today how seriously West Africa takes the problem immediately confronting us; namely, how to replenish the depleted financial resources of the ECOWAS Peace Force for Cote d'Ivoire (ECOFORCE) so that it can continue playing its essential role in promoting peace in Cote d'Ivoire. In this context, we must acknowledge the help already given by those donor countries and institutions that have been assisting ECOWAS since the beginning of its involvement in cote d'Ivoire, and particularly for the deployment of ECOFORCE.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source
“First, let me warmly welcome the distinguished Foreign Ministers of countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who are here with us today, and to thank ECOWAS, as well as France, for the important role they are playing in the search for peace and stability in Cote d'Ivoire through their support for the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Accord. On the military front, their peacekeeping activities have played a key role in averting escalation in the fighting. Secondly, let me thank the members of the Council for the consistent attention they have given to the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and to the role of the United Nations in the peace process. My Special Representative, Mr.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source
“This meeting today promises to inject new momentum into our partnership. For the sake of the world's people, we must make that partnership succeed.”
2003-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4739 (2003) · source