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

“My follow-up report is in the Council's hands. Today I would like to offer some general observations, in the hope of assisting the Council as it considers the new report and grapples with the crucial question of what more the Council can do to enhance peace and security in the African region. As befits a continent of such great human, cultural and natural diversity, a snapshot of Africa on the eve of the new millennium reveals a combination of accomplishments and unresolved problems, of opportunities seized and chances missed. There are places where the Governments and rebel groups persist in spending money on weapons they can ill afford for wars they should not fight.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“Nearly a year and a half ago I submitted to the Security Council a report on one of the most pressing challenges of our times: how to achieve durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. I have been encouraged by the lively response to the report, within and outside the United Nations system. The Security Council established a Working Group to review the report's peace and security aspects and has adopted a number of significant resolutions and statements. The General Assembly, too, has established a Working Group to monitor implementation of the report's recommendations. Research and academic institutions, civil society groups and individuals have joined the debate. But, then, a shortage of proposals and ideas has never been the problem. The need is for real results that bring positive change into people's lives.”
1999-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049 (1999) · source
“With the leadership of the Security Council, and the active efforts of your Governments, I am confident that we can succeed.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“The establishment early this year of the International Action Network on Small Arms has helped sharpen public focus on small arms, which has helped us gain the public support necessary for success. The international community must seize the opportunity provided by the international conference in the year 2001 to demonstrate its political will and its commitment to reversing the global proliferation of small arms. Our larger efforts to promote peace and security, whether through conflict prevention, development, diplomacy or, when necessary, intervention, depend to a great extent on how we tackle the smaller, more specific challenges of limiting the tools of war and violence. In the struggle against small arms, there is a realistic, achievable goal that can be met through foresight, action and cooperation.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“More specifically, in Albania, UNDP, in close collaboration with the Department for Disarmament Affairs, has been engaged in "Weapons for Development" project. The success of that pilot project has encouraged the Albanian Government to invite the establishment of similar projects in other parts of the country. In the Americas, the Organization of American States adopted in November 1997 the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials. The momentum for combating small arms proliferation has also come from civil society, which has been increasingly active on this issue.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“While great challenges still await us, we should take note of a number of positive developments in the struggle against small arms proliferation, and particularly illicit arms trafficking. In Africa, through an initiative led by Mali, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) declared a moratorium on the production and transfer of small arms, covering 16 countries. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is assisting ECOWAS in implementing that moratorium. The Organization of African Unity has also moved forward in deciding to hold a regional conference on small arms in preparation for the international conference on illicit arms trafficking. In Europe, joint action by the European Union in preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms is another promising step.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“Since then, in the context of Angola, as well as those of children and armed conflict and the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the Council has shown wisdom in focusing on the need to reverse the proliferation of small arms if any of these issues is to be successfully resolved. In my report to the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, I stated that controlling the easy availability of small arms is a prerequisite for a successful peace-building process, as it is for conflict prevention. I appealed to the Council to devote greater attention to conflict prevention and to provide effective leadership in this area. In addition, I wish to stress the importance of including in peace agreements and mandates of all United Nations peacekeeping operations specific measures for disarmament and demobilization.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“From the Balkans to Africa to East Asia, small arms have become the instrument of choice for the killers of our time. We must do our part to deny them the means of murder. The United Nations has played a leading role in putting the issue of small arms firmly on the international agenda. The report on small arms which I submitted to the General Assembly in 1997 has served as a catalyst for a wider series of initiatives. Last year, I was very pleased to note that the General Assembly decided to convene a conference on all aspects of illicit arms trafficking no later than 2001. The Security Council has also been seized of the small arms issue, initially in the context of the implementation of my report on Africa.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“Not only are they the primary instrument of the murder of civilians, who are increasingly targeted in the civil wars of our era; unlike their victims, small arms survive from conflict to conflict, perpetuating the cycle of violence by their mere presence. Many of these weapons are even recycled, passed on from area to area, from one conflict to another, by unscrupulous arms merchants, who in many cases take advantage of legal loopholes or exploit inadequate national monitoring and enforcement structures. In an era in which the world will no longer stand by in silence when gross and systematic violations of human rights are being committed, the United Nations is dedicated to addressing both the supply and the demand aspects of the trade in small arms.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“I am pleased to join the Council today in this effort to tackle one of the key challenges in preventing conflict in the next century. Small arms and light weapons are primary tools of violence in many conflicts taking place in the world today. The proliferation of small arms, ammunition and explosives has also aggravated the violence associated with terrorism and organized crime. Even in societies not beset by civil war, the easy availability of small arms has in many cases contributed to violence and political instability. These, in turn, have damaged development prospects and imperilled human security in every way. Indeed, there is probably no single tool of conflict so widespread, so easily available and so difficult to restrict as small arms.”
1999-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4048 (1999) · source
“Yet we see that civilians are still forced from their homes; driven to borders which are open one minute and closed the next; forced into hiding; separated from their families; made to act as human shields; stripped of their identities; and callously killed. The plight of civilians is no longer something which can be neglected or made secondary because it complicates political negotiations or interests. It is fundamental to the central mandate of the Organization. Failure to address these issues would erode the respect of the Council's resolutions and so diminish the authority of the United Nations as a whole. More importantly, it would take away the one thing that sustains the many millions who have lost all in conflict: the hope that something called "the international community" is willing to uphold the basic dignity of humankind. Mr.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“There is no doubt that enforcement action is a difficult step to take. It often goes against political or other interests, but there are universal principles and values which supersede such interests and the protection of civilians is one of them. I have given high priority to the protection of civilians in armed conflict and am willing to work in close support of the Security Council. I am prepared to use my good offices to put in place a system of monitoring progress in the implementation of the 40 recommendations that we have made and to report back to the Council on a regular basis. The Council should then be able to measure its progress and evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts. Those who founded the United Nations believed that, despite a bloodied history, humanity was ultimately redeemable.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“The Council should make use of this expertise not simply for briefings on humanitarian situations, but as a source of concrete solutions to the problems being confronted. For example, recommendation 39 refers to humanitarian and security zones. In situations where such options are being considered, expert advice may be sought from the Secretariat or elsewhere. All the recommendations but the last could help to prevent future hostilities and assist in the protection of civilians already in armed conflict. Tragically, they will not always be enough. If they are not, the final recommendation on enforcement action will need to be taken. There must, of course, be objective criteria to determine the threshold for any form of intervention, but its use must always be on the table.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“That the conventions of international humanitarian and human rights law are being disregarded so wilfully by combatants and are being enforced only sporadically by the international community is deeply disturbing. Contained in this report are a total of 40 concrete recommendations which I believe can help to improve the security of civilians in armed conflict. These recommendations provide the Council with tools and strategies which it can use to respond to particular situations. To make the best use of these tools, the Council may wish to set up a standing mechanism through which it can seek expert advice on specific issues. Such a mechanism would allow the Council to develop a range of responses to deal with issues of legal protection, prevention of conflicts and physical protection.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“None of these countries at present has the institutions or the democratic political culture necessary for peace to take hold. They all require sustained and comprehensive efforts to support those who favour peace over war, stability over banditry. To ensure that these crises are brought to an end, the United Nations must be ready to respond with more than meetings, speeches and reports. It must take action in the name of the principles of the Charter and the values of humanity. The essence of the United Nations work is to establish human security where it is no longer present, where it is under threat or where it never existed. This is our humanitarian imperative. We are at the end of a century that has seen the creation and refinement of much of the corpus of international law. Yet civilians have rarely been so vulnerable.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“Years of careful work in Angola have been undone by the desire of warring parties to control economic resources. The Lusaka Protocol has collapsed and the civilian population is paying dearly for this failure. Many have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands are again displaced. In Sierra Leone, too, the quest for power and control of economic resources has driven belligerents to acts of depravity. The mutilation of so many people demonstrates that international law means nothing without effective measures to back it up. In East Timor, the international community is faced with another situation where human rights have become a casualty of aggression. Militia groups are attempting by a campaign of terror to overturn the results of a democratic poll in which they were overwhelmingly defeated.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“Instead, their favourite strategy is to gain ground in the exercise of terror against defenceless civilians. Their actions, regardless of any reason that may motivate their struggle, demonstrate a shocking disregard for human life and human values. The Emergency Relief Coordinator addressed this issue in January in a meeting of the Security Council. Eight months later, it is fair to ask whether the situation has changed. Has there been any improvement? Since January, conflicts have erupted or have been reignited or intensified in Angola, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo and East Timor. Each of these situations reminds us in different ways of the scale of commitment needed to transform a fragile ceasefire into a secure and stable peace.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to present to the Security Council my report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. This report takes as a starting-point the worst acts of humankind and calls for our best efforts to defend civilians where they are most imperiled. More than just the Victims of crossfire, civilians have themselves become the targets in today's conflicts. During the past decade, many millions have been killed. Over 30 million have been displaced, and countless men, women and children have been denied access to life-saving food and medicine. These statistics are made all the more shocking by the calculated methods used by so many belligerents. We have observed in each of the five continents that belligerents are increasingly taking care to avoid direct confrontation with each other.”
1999-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046 (1999) · source
“But I hope it is clear that it does so out of deference to Indonesia's position as a respected member of the community of States. Regrettably, that position is now being placed in jeopardy by the tragedy that has engulfed the people of East Timor. I sincerely hope this open debate in the Council will contribute to the ending of that tragedy. The meeting of the Council today symbolizes the determination of its members and that of the United Nations membership as a whole to fulfil their obligation under the Charter.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“But I believe it is worth remarking at this point that the ability of the Indonesian armed forces to maintain calm in Dili during the mission's visit further emphasizes their responsibility for the security situation as a whole. As I said yesterday, the time has come for Indonesia to seek the help of the international community in fulfilling its responsibility to bring order and security to the people of East Timor. This work must include guaranteeing the safety and protection of the civilian leaders of the pro-independence camp. Once again I urge Indonesia to agree without further delay to the deployment of an international force. The international community is asking for Indonesia's consent to the deployment of such a force.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“The problem of the bulk of the population, now believed to have fled or been forcibly moved to West Timor, is equally pressing. I am glad to be able to say that UNAMET reports the situation in Dili today as being very quiet. Earlier today the Security Council mission visited East Timor to see for themselves the conditions on the ground and the impediments being faced by UNAMET and its courageous staff. I understand that they were able to visit the whole city and see for themselves the extent of the destruction. Like the members of the Council, I look forward to receiving the full report of the mission within the next day or two.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“Approximately 1,000 East Timorese have taken refuge in the United Nations compound. The conditions under which they are being accommodated are precarious. The plight of these unfortunate innocent victims is but one aspect of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in East Timor. The vast majority of the population have been forcibly displaced. With access to all of East Timor now denied to the international community, we cannot be certain of the full dimensions of the humanitarian crisis or of the requirements for survival of the population that has been uprooted. But it is clear that extremely urgent action is required to provide for the basic needs of food, water and health care. Food is fast running out in the places of known concentration inside East Timor.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“Only 86 international staff remain in the headquarters in Dili. Lawlessness and disorder have reigned in Dili this week, despite a significant presence of Indonesian police and military who are unwilling or unable to control the situation. As I said in a public statement yesterday, faced with this grave situation the future of UNAMET's presence in East Timor remains under hourly review. On Tuesday, Indonesia declared martial law in East Timor, but neither this nor the presence of extra troops has had the effect of restoring order. As members know, on Wednesday and Thursday, UNAMET convoys were attacked by armed militias, despite having an escort of Indonesian troops, and yesterday soldiers of the Indonesian army tasked with guarding the compound joined the pro-integration militia who were terrorizing those inside.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“My goal has been to create conditions that would allow the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) to carry out the mandate with which the Council has entrusted it. The first such condition is the restoration of law and order, which, under the 5 May Agreements, is the responsibility of the Government of Indonesia. The Council has dispatched its own mission to Indonesia to emphasize directly to the leaders of that country at the highest levels the urgency of the situation and the necessity for immediate action. Despite all our efforts, the security situation has steadily deteriorated and the United Nations Mission in East Timor has been forced to close all but one of its offices. Yesterday, UNAMET relocated all non-essential staff, including 280 UNAMET local staff and their families, out of East Timor.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“As I said in my press conference yesterday, what is happening in East Timor may well fall into various categories of international crime. The individuals who have ordered and carried out these crimes must be held accountable. During the last week, my colleagues and I have given the Council regular and detailed briefings on these developments. There has been an overwhelming international public response to the plight of the people of East Timor in their hour of darkness. Members of the Council have been preoccupied with the crisis, as have my colleagues in the Secretariat and myself. In addition, I have been in constant telephone contact with many heads of State and other leaders from all parts of the globe. In particular, I have spoken throughout the week with President Habibie in Jakarta.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“A week ago in this Chamber, I informed the Council that the people of East Timor had voted overwhelmingly to reject an offer of autonomy from the Indonesian Government and in favour of a transition towards independence. The conditions under which the popular consultation took place on 30 August were far from ideal, but the extremely large turnout and the judgment of the international observers and the Electoral Commission left no doubt as to the integrity and validity of the ballot. The international community should therefore now be proceeding, without any hesitation, to implement the result of the ballot. Unhappily, no sooner had the result of the ballot been announced than East Timor began a descent into chaos. The scale of the violence, death and destruction has been far beyond what any international observers anticipated.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043 (1999) · source
“I call upon the Government of Indonesia, which made possible the consultation process through a statesmanlike initiative of the President of the Republic, to ensure its successful culmination by carrying out its responsibility to maintain law and order in the Territory. I should like to thank both Indonesia and Portugal for their commitment and perseverance in this process. I am confident that the Governments will fulfil their remaining obligations under the 5 May Agreements. Let me assure both Governments that the United Nations will continue to work with them to ensure the implementation of the results of the consultation through a peaceful and orderly process. Let me also assure the people of East Timor that the United Nations will not fail them in guiding East Timor in its transition towards independence.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“Those who voted to accept the proposed special autonomy must not consider this outcome a loss. Nor indeed should the majority consider it a victory, for there are no winners and no losers today. Rather, this moment heralds the opportunity for all East Timorese to begin to forge together a common future in what is to become an independent East Timor. Today I ask all the parties to bring to an end the violence that for 24 years has caused untold suffering to East Timor. I ask them to begin in earnest a process of dialogue and reconciliation through the East Timor Consultative Commission.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“The result of the vote is 94,388, or 21.5 per cent, in favour and 344,580, or 78.5 per cent, against the proposal for special autonomy. The people of East Timor have thus rejected the proposed special autonomy and expressed their wish to begin a process of transition towards independence. After 24 years of conflict, East Timor now stands at the threshold of what we all hope will be a process orderly and peaceful transition towards independence. The coming days, however, will require patience and calm from the people of East Timor. I hardly need stress how important it is for its leaders to exercise wisdom and reason. Now is the time for all concerned to seize the opportunity to lay a firm and lasting foundation for cooperation and peace and to usher in an era of stability and prosperity for all future generations of East Timorese.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“It registered 451,792 voters in East Timor and around the world, in a registration process which the Electoral Commission, a body composed of three independent commissioners, deemed to be a sound basis for the conduct of the consultation. Thus, on 30 August 1999, in a show of courage and determination, the people of East Timor turned out in massive numbers to vote in the popular consultation, expressing their will as to the future of the Territory. The votes cast have now been counted, and the Electoral Commission has assessed all outstanding complaints and certified the results of the popular consultation process. Therefore, in fulfilment of the task entrusted to me by the 5 May Agreements, I hereby announce the result of the vote.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“On 5 May 1999, Portugal, Indonesia and the United Nations concluded a historic set of Agreements intended to resolve the long-standing issue of East Timor. These 5 May Agreements requested me to determine, through a popular consultation based on a universal, direct and secret ballot, whether the East Timorese people would accept or reject a proposed special autonomy for East Timor within the unitary Republic of Indonesia. To enable me to fulfil this request, the Security Council established on 11 June 1999 the United Nations Mission in East Timor, which proceeded to organize and conduct the popular consultation.”
1999-09-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4041 (1999) · source
“Let us rejoice today that the Council has adopted a landmark resolution which gives strong legal underpinning to the task ahead. But let us not be triumphalist, for that task is indeed daunting. Instead, let us - all of us - buckle down and get on with the job.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“This includes tasks for which the United Nations is not responsible, but which are vital if peace and stability are to be restored. I have in mind, for example, the need for the full withdrawal of Serb military, paramilitary and police forces, and for the demilitarization of the UCK. I look to those responsible for the security aspects of the resolution to act swiftly. I intend very soon to revert to the Council with specific proposals on how to make the civilian operation authorized by this resolution truly integrated and effective. There also lies ahead the hard and extremely complex work of building a durable peace, of reconciling positions which are far apart. In doing so, we need to deal with the roots of this crisis. I said a few minutes ago that this was the beginning of the end of a dark and ugly chapter.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“Let no one be in any doubt about the magnitude of our challenge: after the violence, the human rights abuses, the expulsions and the devastation of the past year, the task of restoring Kosovo to a semblance of normal life is immense. Rebuilding homes, restoring infrastructure, renewing institutions and revitalizing civil society will require sacrifice, dedication and persistence on the part of all who share responsibility for the future of Kosovo. In planning terms, winter is fast approaching, and we are in a race against time. The United Nations is determined to lead the civilian implementation of the peace effectively and efficiently. But to do so, we need the cooperation of all parties, and we need the means to carry out the mandate. The commitment to peace is not enough. The will to implement it - in all its aspects - is what counts.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“With this resolution, the United Nations Security Council has charted the way towards a better future for the inhabitants of Kosovo: a future in which all the refugees and internally displaced persons can return safely to their homes; a future in which full respect is assured for the civil, political and human rights of all. Today, we are seeing at least the beginning of the end of a dark and desolate chapter in the history of the Balkans. Today, we embark on the path of peace. This path will be marked by difficulties and dangers that will require no less courage and determination than the events that brought us to this point.”
1999-06-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4011 (1999) · source
“We hope that there will emerge "a cadre of leaders which will not allow that any should be denied their freedom, as we were; that any should be turned into refugees, as we were; that any should be condemned to go hungry, as we were; that any should be stripped of their human dignity, as we were." (A/53/PV.7) Against all odds, President Mandela achieved his aim for his nation and for his people. Let that achievement be a source of inspiration for all of us.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“When will the time come when we can all say that we did our best for Africa, that its leaders came together and resolved peacefully their differences and that we in the international community finally did our part to help secure durable peace and ensure lasting development? Allow me to suggest that they, and we, look to Nelson Mandela; that they, and we, listen to the final words of the final United Nations address of his presidency; and that they, and we, show ourselves worthy of his great hope for the continent of Africa.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Without the determination of the parties themselves to reach political accommodation, there is little we can do except offer the band-aid of humanitarian assistance, often with great difficulty and at great risk. We are in no position to impose the peace that the peoples so fervently desire and so richly deserve. What will it take for Africa's leaders finally to reject military solutions to political challenges? When will the realization arrive that not one - not a single one - of these conflicts can end in the absence of compromise, tolerance and the peaceful resolution of disputes?”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Indeed, in the six months that have passed since I presented the report, we have witnessed fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Guinea-Bissau, in Angola and in Sierra Leone, while the humanitarian crises in Somalia and the Sudan seem only to grow with every passing day. The United Nations, in partnership with the Organization of African Unity (OAU), is actively involved in seeking an end to every one of these crises and in alleviating the suffering borne by innocent civilians. But in a larger sense we can only appeal to the wisdom and the responsibility of leaders to put the interests of their own people first.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“There have recently been positive developments in a number of African countries seeking to escape conflict or to make the transition from dictatorship to democracy. In this regard, I would like to express my hope that the leadership of Nigeria will continue on the path to good governance and the rule of law, strengthening democratic institutions and organizing free and fair elections in February leading to the handover to civilian rule by the end of May 1999. Regrettably, however, this move away from the rule of the gun has seemed the exception rather than the rule in recent months.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“There must be reciprocity. No one can be expected to invest in unstable or insecure neighbourhoods. If we now recognize that peace and prosperity must be sought as one, with equal priority and equal persistence, then we must also understand the broader nature of the human security we seek. That is why the United Nations increasingly is taking a comprehensive, holistic approach to all our peacekeeping and peace- building activities. We have learned that electoral assistance must be part of democracy-building; that securing human rights will ensure genuine political liberty; and that political development must be integral to economic development. And we are applying these lessons every day.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Those needs are, first, to increase the volume and improve the quality of official development assistance; secondly, to consider converting all remaining official bilateral debt owed by the poorest African countries into grants; thirdly, to liberalize access to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt (HIPC) Initiative; fourthly, to ease access conditions for African exports; and fifthly, to encourage investment in Africa, which has largely been marginalized in the process of globalization. I am pleased to say that all the Governments represented reaffirmed their support for the recommendations in the report, and in particular for the five priority areas I have just indicated. At the same time, they stressed the need on the part of African States to create an enabling environment for investment and economic growth.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Specifically, I called for the promotion of investments and economic growth, ensuring adequate levels of international aid, reducing debt burdens and opening international markets to Africa's products. These are aims on which we can all agree; we can also all agree that they are far from being met. Yesterday, I convened an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Development Assistance Committee countries to highlight five priority areas in meeting Africa's economic challenges.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“The Council, for its part, has shown its commitment to the aims of the report and to lasting peace in Africa, first, by setting up active working groups and adopting very important resolutions on the report's recommendations, and, secondly, by authorizing new peacekeeping operations in the Central African Republic and Sierra Leone. I am also pleased to note that the General Assembly will be considering my report in October, and I look forward to the conclusions of the Administrative Committee on Coordination's fall session devoted mainly to the inter- agency aspects of the report. In the report, I emphasized that any and all efforts at securing peace had to be combined with steps towards ending Africa's poverty.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“I can report today that the United Nations Secretariat is vigorously working on follow-up activities to the report and that I have asked the Deputy Secretary-General to monitor its implementation. Even before this plan is finalized, however, we have begun our work. In July, we convened two international conferences - one on Guinea and the other on Sierra Leone - to focus international attention on the efforts of those two countries to restore or strengthen peace and stability and to help them do so. We have also provided the Council with specific proposals for the establishment of an international mechanism to assist host Governments in maintaining the security and neutrality of refugee camps. And we have begun discussions on the need to stem illicit arms flows to and in Africa.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Let us never forget that it is for them - the peoples of Africa - that our ideas must matter and make a difference. The report aimed to contribute to Africa's progress in two distinct but related ways: first, by paying the peoples of Africa the tribute of truth - by honestly and candidly reporting to the world their challenges and their aspirations; secondly, by proposing realistic and achievable recommendations for how those challenges may be met. I am therefore very pleased to witness the serious and constructive manner in which the Council, through its ad hoc working group, has begun to address the report's recommendations. We have had a good start. Following the submission of the report in April, you asked the Secretariat to provide ideas for practical actions that could be taken by the Secretariat and United Nations agencies.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“It is with great pleasure that I join you for this second ministerial meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Africa. Our meeting is the fruit of your determination to make a difference for peace and for prosperity in Africa. It is an expression of the political will that I called for in my report (S/l998/318) last April - the political will which is the condition for any success that our endeavours may meet with in Africa, as elsewhere. Throughout the last six months, and most recently at the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, African leaders have pledged to help implement the report's recommendations. Just as importantly, ordinary men and women in every part of Africa heard their United Nations speak in a voice that recognized the realities they face, day in and day out.”
1998-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3931 (1998) · source
“Developments that contradict or impede this process must certainly be avoided as we move together towards the ultimate goal of eliminating nuclear weapons in a safer and better world for us all and for future generations.”
1998-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3890 (1998) · source
“I thank the sponsors for their initiative and for their hard work to achieve a resolution which addresses the concerns of all members of the Council. I would like in particular to welcome the call to India and Pakistan to resume their bilateral talks on the issues that have sadly divided them. I will continue my own efforts to encourage this dialogue, in the hope that it will reduce tensions and the danger of an escalation into a nuclear arms race. Over the past several years there have been encouraging signs that the world might be moving towards ending the global nuclear arms race as the process of nuclear disarmament continued to be implemented in terms of article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.”
1998-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3890 (1998) · source
“The nuclear tests in India and Pakistan are unquestionably disturbing developments with far-reaching consequences for the region and for the international community. They affect the peace and stability of South Asia, a region that has been one of the cradles of human civilization, a region with great potential for economic and social development. They also impact seriously on the ongoing process of nuclear non- proliferation and nuclear disarmament and its future, and on our common security. It is significant that the Security Council, which under the Charter has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, should speak with one voice and without delay on these developments.”
1998-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3890 (1998) · source