YouSaid · the spoken record

Shingiro

lines on the record: 336
first: 2013-01-24
most recent: 2019-10-30
sittings or episodes: 20
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

“No one can claim to love the Arusha Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Burundi more than the Tanzanians. The Agreement was negotiated and signed in Arusha, Tanzania, and the Tanzanians are its guarantors. They know us; we were once refugees in Tanzania, so no one can claim to uphold the Agreement better than the Tanzanians, South Africans or others in the region. If the Tanzanians, therefore, propose a calendar on behalf of EAC, it should be accepted by everyone, because the Tanzanians know the region better than anyone. I must also mention one important point very quickly. You know what is happening in our country; sometimes we read about it on the Internet, sometimes we read reports, but a certain amount regarding the situation has been left unsaid.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“A team of EAC ministers, dispatched by the heads of State of the region and South Africa, visited Burundi on 16 June to evaluate the implementation of the recommendations of the 31 May Summit. The ministers concluded that the current electoral calendar should be respected and that any further postponement would not be productive. When proposals are received from outside Africa for the postponement of the elections, which are due to be held in 48 hours, we can only wonder why there are such divergences in regional positions. Since the ministers who recommended adherence to the current calendar were dispatched by the heads of State, to contradict such special delegates would call into question those heads of State. It is important that the decisions of regional stakeholders be respected.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“The part of the current electoral campaign that concerns the administrative communes has finished, but the campaign as a whole is ongoing, and all political parties, or at least the majority, are participating, except for the radical opposition. I can also inform you that more political parties are participating in this campaign than in 2010. The Government is making particular efforts to enable refugees to return. It has already dispatched delegations, including at the ministerial level, to neighbouring countries to encourage refugees, who are fleeing not war but rumours, so that they can return. Between 35,000 and 40,000 refugees have already returned to Burundi, a considerable number. Before I end my statement, I would like to return quickly to certain aspects of the regional dimension, something to which I repeatedly refer.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“In addition to the 100,000 weapons already recovered by the forces of law and order, the Government has recently been able to accelerate such recovery to stabilize the security situation in the country for the establishment of a favourable climate for the elections. Secondly, to achieve even better results, the Government has invited all social partners to contribute to that recovery so that no one feels excluded from security matters, particularly in this very sensitive electoral period. The Government would like to assure the population and the international observers that every effort has been made to ensure security at every stage of the elections.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“That dialogue, which is also part of the peace process, will of course be held, even after the elections, which are essential to lasting peace. The Government is waiting only for the arrival in Burundi of the team appointed at the Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community to steer the dialogue so that it can monitor the situation closely from Bujumbura. As for the security climate of the elections, the programme for the disarmament of the civilian population is functioning as it should, and the Government would like to point out that two instructions were issued to the National Disarmament Commissionjust after the Dar es-Salaam Summit: first, to increase the rate of recovery of all weapons held by groups affiliated with the political parties.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“With regard to the recommended political dialogue, I would remind delegations that the Government's successive postponements of the elections and the measure suspending the implementation of the warrants for the arrest of the organizers of the violent demonstrations are further proof of the Government's good faith, while the opposition has made no such gestures in return. The Government, then, is making every effort and many concessions, whereas opposition groups, behaving like spoilt, demanding children, have been unable to make concessions and their attitude has become more uncompromising over time. They have gone as far as to call into question Mr. Djinnit, not for objective reasons but simply to delay the dialogue.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“The Summit recommendations were that the Government of Burundi should follow the current timetable, because the first two postponements were sufficient, and that it should respect the constitutional deadlines on account of the constitutional vacuum that could ensue after 7 July, at the end of the term of the communal councils, the only bodies authorized to elect members of Parliament. All of the foregoing is by way of explanation of the Government's approach, which is to proceed with the elections within the deadlines set in the Constitution.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“In accordance with the current electoral process and taking account of the radical opposition's intransigence in wanting to postpone the elections at every turn, the Government of Burundi had to choose one of two options. The first was to postpone the elections and voluntarily accept being left in a constitutional vacuum, the repercussions of which no one has so far been able to predict. The second option was to proceed with the elections as planned, in accordance with the calendar resulting from the third postponement, which complied with the recommendations and conclusions of the ministers of the East African Community (EAC) and South Africa, who visited Burundi on 16 June to assess the implementation of the recommendations of the EAC Summit, held in Dar es-Salaam, Tanzania.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“President, that the Constitution of Burundi makes no provision for the consensual establishment by politicians of the electoral calendar. It is the prerogative of the Independent National Electoral Commission to establish that calendar, as stipulated in article 91 of the Constitution; any other approach would breach the Constitution. The Commission, which is responsible for organizing elections, has been able to comply with that provision. It consulted the stakeholders on 8 June, and the discussions at that meeting were taken into account when the current electoral calendar, which is quite simply the last one possible under the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi, was drafted.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“The electoral campaigns for those communal administrative elections ended today. Then the election of the President of the Republic will take place on 15 July 2015 and the election of senators on 24 July 2015. That whole calendar takes into consideration the constitutional limits and deadlines. Postponing the elections beyond those dates would leave the Government in a constitutional vacuum, which no one wants. The Government of Burundi is surprised by the behaviour of those politicians who dare to say that they would like the elections to be postponed once again. We wonder what kind of postponement they want at this precise moment. They also say that they want an electoral calendar based on a consensus among all stakeholders. We would wish to inform you, Mr.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“Furthermore, the people of Burundi, our political partners and the political coalitions present on the ground, which have been in full campaign mode for more than two months now, are tired of the successive postponements of the elections and are increasingly impatient and eager to start the elections. They cannot accept that their leaders' civic rights are being violated according to the whims of certain political parties and certain ill-intentioned private individuals who wish to further postpone this major electoral event in our country. Therefore, as already stated, the following timetable is one that has been pushed back as far as constitutionally acceptable to avoid a constitutional vacuum and political disorder. First, the election of communal counsellors and deputies will be held on 29 June 2015, that is, on Monday.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“Nevertheless, given the fact that, in any of the countries represented here today, elections are the basis for independent democracy, even if the Government agreed to the principle of dialogue with all political partners, such a dialogue could not take place outside the parameters of the Constitution. If it did, the authority responsible for holding the elections, in other words, the head of State, would be accused of high treason under article 117 of the Constitution, on which, of course, he swore an oath before taking up his functions as President of the Republic.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“Abdoulaye Bathily, after his predecessor, Said Djinnit, was forced to step down by opposition parties hostile to the holding of elections. With respect to the electoral timetable, the Government has accepted a postponement of the elections three times, following recommendations by various partners, including the Summit of Heads of State of East Africa, which was held in Dar es-Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, on 31 May 2015. That was done to provide the necessary time to the political parties that had refused to participate in the elections and, as a result, were not prepared for them.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): Naturally, before I begin my statement, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for having convened this emergency meeting on the situation in Burundi, during which the Council adopted a presidential statement on the situation (S/PRST/2015/13). Allow me to also welcome the presence of Mr. Feltman, Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs, with whom I meet often to discuss the situation in my country. The Government of the Republic of Burundi fully appreciates the efforts undertaken by the international community to support the Burundian people on their path towards free, inclusive and peaceful elections. It is within that framework that the Government of Burundi welcomed the appointment of a new facilitator, namely, Mr.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“Participants in this meeting may have noted that a child living in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Central African Republic does not receive the same kind of assistance as a child living in Kosovo or Ukraine. This situation must be rectified.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“This is also true of the process of release and of efforts undertaken at the level of the countries concerned and by the international community to rehabilitate or reintegrate children within their communities of origin. F ifthly and lastly, we would recall that the protection and assistance provided to children in situations of conflict remain inadequate and poorly distributed. Young people are bearing the consequences of war because Governments have not allocated sufficient importance to their needs or their rights; thus the resources allocated to the settlement of humanitarian crises vary considerably from one country to another.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“Thirdly, negotiation and mediation processes should include strengthened provisions for securing child soldiers' release from the clutches of non-State armed groups, with a particular focus on freeing girls who are directly or indirectly associated with armed groups and providing them with support after their release. Fourthly, I should stress the vital importance of the regional dimension. Local, regional, subregional and continental stakeholders are well placed to play a key role in exerting greater pressure on non-State armed groups in order to put an end to our children's ill treatment. Cooperation must be strengthened between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations that are very close to the areas affected. Building local, regional and continental capacities is also necessary in that regard.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“Such measures are effective and successful, especially if child protection advisers are integrated systematically into such operations. However, that must be fully aligned with the child- protection policy of the relevant department. Secondly, when it comes to the injustices that children suffer in the context of armed conflict, especially in relation to education, investing in basic social services, particularly by building schools, health centres and specialist training centres, is an excellent pre-emptive way of protecting children from involvement or exploitation in armed conflict.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“Such tragedies tend to get the entire international community worked up, which is what makes this debate so relevant, but the persistence of the phenomenon has raised questions about the ability of the international community and especially the United Nations to put an end to it. That is why we need to take urgent action to give our children hope. These are our proposals. I do not claim to be reinventing the wheel; some of these measures already exist, but strengthening them could make a difference to our protection of our children. The first is that we must ensure that the inclusion of specific provisions for protecting children in the mandates of United Nations peacekeeping operations, special political missions and peacebuilding missions becomes a reality.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“The ignorance that is the result of a lack of education encourages intolerance and perpetuates a cycle of poverty, thus helping to fuel extreme violence. We would particularly like to highlight the situation of girls directly or indirectly associated with non-State armed groups. Girls are even more vulnerable than their brothers to such groups and are often specifically targeted by them. They therefore naturally need special attention and protection. They are at greater risk of rape or sexual violence, sexual exploitation and even more devastating abuses such as sexual slavery and forced or early.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“We must point out that accepting the use of child soldiers in conflict amounts to accepting the destruction of our own future, and we must fight to save it, one child at a time. We must bring them all back, one by one. We firmly believe that investing in ways to keep children away from the front lines, particularly through education and support for a country's economy, is absolutely crucial to their future and that of their communities. We should recall that schools and students continue to be the targets of deliberate attacks. School facilities are regularly looted or diverted from their primary function in order to be used for military or paramilitary purposes. Such acts deprive children, and the communities whose future and hope they represent, of a fundamental right, the right to an education.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“The experience of combat can have devastating long-term physical and psychological effects on children, including the loss of limbs, possible exposure to HIV, emotional problems and reprisals or rejection by the families and communities to which these young people wish to return. Such consequences are not only a major problem for communities affected by war but also undermine the international community's efforts to restore peace and promote lasting community recovery after a conflict. We believe that all children held by armed groups should be released without delay. We cannot wait for peace to return to help children trapped in the turmoil of war. Even a minute longer in the clutches of such groups is an eternity for those children.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“While it may be true that Governments around the world have made progress in recognizing that children have no place in their own armies, the recruitment and use of child soldiers continue to be a huge problem, especially among non-State armed groups, and constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law and international standards of human rights. Injured, maimed and traumatized by a war that is not of their choosing, children are left seriously handicapped, marginalized and rejected when they are victims of rape or forced marriage. Deprived of their basic rights, they no longer have access to education, playgrounds, health care or psychological supervision, and they suffer from the absence of affection and other traumas resulting from their time in enforced conscription under unscrupulous non-State armed groups.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“Similarly, children are being killed, maimed and, depending on the situation, sexually abused, abducted and separated from their families by non-State armed groups every day. This deplorable trend has become a new tactic used without compunction by such armed groups. It is also a way of instilling fear and terror in innocent people, controlling them and forcing them to leave their family homes and become refugees in their own country. We cannot repeat too often that children are more vulnerable to recruitment and exploitation by armed groups, at a time when conflicts all over the world are becoming more brutal, intense and frequent.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank you for the concept note (S/2015/168, annex) on the subject we are meeting on today that you kindly submitted as material for our discussion. It is concise and well written, researched and directed. My sincere thanks also go to the Secretary-General and the other briefers for joining us this morning in this very interesting debate. Every year, hundreds of thousands of children worldwide are enrolled, most of them against their will, in Government armed forces or non-State armed groups in conflict. They are thereby exposed to violence both as witnesses and as direct or indirect victims. The impact on their mental health and physical well-being amounts to a violation of their rights as children and their most fundamental human rights, besides the serious threats it poses to peace and development.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): I would first like to thank you, Mr. President, and your country, France, for organizing this important and timely open debate on the subject of child victims of non-State armed groups, under the agenda item of children and armed conflict. I would also like to congratulate you warmly on your outstanding leadership during France's presidency of the Security Council and for the major role you played in preparing and implementing the Council's field trip to my country, Burundi. I will not forget the substantive, animated and hotly argued debate on the afternoon of 13 March that you moderated during your meeting with political parties and civil- society organizations in Bujumbura. Our democracy emerged from it the wiser.”
2015-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7414 (2015) · source
“We have witnessed the important role that the African Union and subregional organizations - such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of West African States, the East African Community and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, whose headquarters are in Bujumbura - have played in the area of peacekeeping and conflict resolution.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Fourthly, we call for strengthened and sustained dialogue and cooperation among the Security Council, the troop- and police-contributing countries, and the Secretariat in order to meet peacekeeping challenges in a spirit of partnership, cooperation and mutual trust. Fifthly and finally, we call on the Security Council to continue to support regional and subregional initiatives so as to strengthen their ability to contribute to efforts to maintain international peace and security.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Thirdly, it is crucial to ensure that United Nations peacekeeping operations and those mandated by the United Nations - such as the African Union Mission to Somalia and, more recently, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic - have clearly defined and adequately resourced mandates, objectives and chains of command that are based on a realistic assessment of the situation on the ground. We believe that each mission must take into account the needs and priorities of the countries concerned, in cooperation with national authorities, from the earliest stages ofthe mission planning process.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“To that end, the views of the host country and the lessons learned by and best practices of troop-contributing countries may prove necessary to determine the real needs of field missions. Secondly, we recall that women play a key role in conflict prevention and rebuilding broken societies. In that respect, we advocate for the systematic inclusion of women throughout the process of settlement of disputes, mediation, community recovery and local administration after conflict.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Given the short amount of time allotted to discuss this extremely broad and relevant topic, allow me to briefly make some concrete proposals in the framework of our shared goal to improve United Nations peacekeeping operations. This is not an exhaustive list. First, in the context of maintaining multidimensional peacekeeping operations, peacebuilding elements can be incorporated quickly. Any strategy for peacebuilding must be based on national experience and planned in a consistent and cross-cutting manner to ensure that it is in line with the needs of the country in question, and with the principle of national ownership and priorities set by national authorities.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“While reaffirming that the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security rests with the Security Council, it is imperative to continue to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in resolving conflict andpost-conflict situations throughjoint efforts in conflict prevention and settlement, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The ongoing cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union is testimony to the potential of cooperation between the United Nations and other regional organizations. This cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union should be continued, strengthened and made lasting.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“The role played by troop-contributing countries, whose soldiers risk their lives for peace in the overall peacekeeping process, and the importance of their full participation in the development of policy or reaching of decisions related to troops, the mandate and the composition of peacekeeping operations can hardly be underestimated. The provision of any financial and logistical support necessary to peacekeeping operations is essential to ensure that their mandates are successfully carried out. The financing of peacekeeping operations should not become a burden for troop-contributing countries.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“We underscore that when establishing a peacekeeping operation or extending the mandate of an existing operation, there is a need to adhere to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the basic principles that govern those operations. We must, inter alia, respect the principles of sovereign equality, political independence, territorial integrity, and non-intervention in domestic affairs. It cannot be said enough that cooperation among the Security Council, the Secretariat and troop-contributing countries is key to the success of peacekeeping operations.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“The protection of civilians cannot serve as a pretext to promote a change of regime, a military intervention or any other act that would run counter to the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. In that respect, it is important to continue to strengthen dialogue among countries that host peacekeeping operations, troop-contributing countries, the Secretariat and the Security Council. Burundi believes that peacekeeping is an important tool of the United Nations for resolving conflict situations around the world, and we believe in that tool. However, peacekeeping does not replace other, more cost-effective mechanisms already in existence, such as preventive diplomacy and political efforts to settle disputes peacefully before they happen.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Extending mandates for existing operations and establishing new operations must be done in strict accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States, and non-intervention in domestic affairs. Moreover, it is necessary to comply with the basic principles adopted by the General Assembly with respect to those operations, such as the consent of the parties, impartiality, and the non-use of force except in self-defence. As we all know, a large number of peacekeeping operations are mandated to protect civilians. We reiterate that the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians falls to sovereign States, except in the event ofmass atrocities, such as genocide, crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“In that regard, the early mobilization of sufficient resources for capacity-building and the financing of related activities, such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), are key to any security sector reform. In that regard, Burundi welcomes the success of its own DDR programme, which allowed for the proper integration of foreign rebels into the regular army. Thanks to that successful integration, Burundi now has defence and security forces that are truly national and inclusive, and currently help to maintain peace in several hotspot areas. Burundi stands ready to share the experience of its DDR programe with other nations in the framework of a tripartite partnership that would include Burundi, the country concerned, and the United Nations and/or the African Union.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Since the 1990s, peacekeeping operations have become the rule rather than the exception so as to re-establish peace and stability, especially in regions targeted by internal conflicts, such as in our region of the African Great Lakes. The nature of the mandates of those operations has evolved throughout the decades and has been constantly changing. At the same time, the implementation mechanisms have become increasingly complex, which means that the challenges the Organization must face continue to multiply. Nothing can be done without security, yet everything becomes possible when security is guaranteed and extends throughout the national territory.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Its military and police personnel work courageously each day under the blue flag of the United Nations and under the green flag of the African Union, so as to re-establish peace in troubled areas, notably in Somalia and the Central African Republic. It is our turn to return the favour to the international community, which participated in the restoration and consolidation of peace in my country after several years of unprecedented crises and war. It is then understandable that the deployment of our troops to peacekeeping operations is our way of thanking the international community, which has remained at Burundi's side as much in time of peace as in time of war.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): First of all, allow me to thank you and your country, Mr. President, for having organized this important and very interesting open debate on the theme "Maintenance of international peace and security: Reflect on history, reaffirm the strong commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations". Burundi is pleased to have been associated, following the rebirth of its democracy in 2005, with the peacekeeping activities of the United Nations and the African Union. Burundi is the top African francophone troop-contributing country to peacekeeping operations in several conflict areas across the world.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Fourthly, we must work much harder to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to ensure the survival of populations that are trapped in conflicts, because those who do not die from gunfire can certainly die of hunger in areas that are made inaccessible because of fighting. Fifthly, and lastly, when national authorities do not protect their own civilians nor take the necessary measures to bring those who commit war crimes and violate human rights to justice, the Security Council must exercise leadership for a response at the international level, while respecting the standards of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Any violation of those rights calls for the attention and action of the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations. Secondly, there is an urgent need for more frequent interactions with non-State groups to ensure that they respect standards for the protection of civilians. However, that does not mean that these groups are being recognized. It simply means that those groups must be made aware ofthe need to respect international humanitarian law, without, however, legitimizing their position. Thirdly, peacekeeping missions mandated to protect civilians must be able to call on the resources and the necessary forces to carry out their tasks. And we must heighten the percentage of representation of women in all peacekeeping operations and special political missions after conflicts.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Any unilateral action taken in the name of any kind of theory of protection of civilians with disregard for the Charter of the United Nations should be discouraged. Burundi highlights the need for a reaction by the international community that is always proportionate to the situation to which we are responding on the ground when it comes to protecting civilians. For example, the protection of civilians should not be an excuse for regime change, and no body of the United Nations should serve as a tool for such a change. That, as is very well known, is a prerogative for the people of the country concerned. My delegation would like to make some brief proposals with regard to our common efforts to protect civilians during armed conflicts. First, parties to a conflict must respect international humanitarian law and human rights law.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“It is true that the Security Council has seen some progress in terms of efforts to reduce the effects of conflicts on civilians, especially with the establishment of peacekeeping missions with mandates containing provisions and strategies to protect civilians. However, it is essential to recall that efforts to protect civilians must be inclusive. We must also ensure that such efforts are not used towards adverse ends, by avoiding as far as possible the use of selective focuses or double standards to the detriment of some civilian populations in distress in some highly politicized conflict areas. We would point out that any use of force to defend civilians must take place with total respect for the Charter of the United Nations.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“To that end, we call on the Security Council to commit itself further, both at the political and the legal levels, to put an end to these atrocities, especially by applying targeted sanctions - that are non-discriminatory - against the authors of these acts of violence against civilians, in order to put an end to impunity. We recall that the prevention of conflicts is the best way to protect civilian populations from armed violence. Preventive diplomacy should therefore play a leading role, as it has several advantages. Not only does it make it possible to save human lives, but it is also less expensive when it comes to those paying dues as Members of the United Nations.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“In Africa the situations in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Mali, in the Central African Republic, in Somalia, in South Sudan in areas where the Lord's Resistance Army has been striking, and in Cote d'Ivoire during the latest post- electoral crisis in 2011, have all revealed the degree of violence and atrocities to which combatants subject populations. Those who are most vulnerable - women, children, older people and handicapped people - pay the price of this senseless violence. We stress that the protection of civilians in armed conflicts should not be a simple concern for the international community.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“That is why we must continue to work to prevent sexual violence, especially rape as a weapon of war and sexual slavery. In that connection, I am of course thinking in particular of the young Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorist sect, a heinous act that we firmly condemn. Attacks against civilians are unacceptable wherever they are committed. We denounce the strategies of using populations as human shields or weapons of war, as well as the threat created by mines and other explosive devices, which lead to heightened civilian casualties and a broader displacement of populations. We see a bitter result, even a very bitter one. The situation of civilians is deteriorating in many areas of conflict.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Then there are the illegal actors, especially armed gangs and organized crime, which also sow terror in civilian populations by seizing goods and property and/or by practising various kinds of trafficking. In this category it is difficult to distinguish among those involved in conflict, which are a mixed bag of evil-doers, including fighters, traffickers, mercenaries and even the general population in some areas. All civilians need protection against deliberate acts of abuse and violence. We must act collectively to defend the rights of vulnerable religious communities, which are persecuted in situations of armed conflict because of their religious convictions. Women and girls throughout the world continue to fall victim to sexual violence in armed conflicts.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“But it must be noted that civilians are still being massacred, mutilated, raped or deprived of humanitarian assistance by various parties to conflicts, all of this with disregard for the rules and conventions. Among those attacking civilian populations there are first the fighters ofnegative forces in several regions of the world, especially those striking in our region of the Great Lakes of Africa. They terrorize the civilian populations to force them to provide unconditional support. They thus blatantly violate the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions which, in article 13 prohibits acts or threats of violence with the main objective of terrorizing the civilian population.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“They also violate the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and all international treaties on the subject. Today the responsibility to protect, which was launched at the 2005 World Summit of Heads of State, compels States to protect civilian populations from genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass killings and other cruel and inhumane treatment. If a State fails to do so, then the international community must take its place. Obviously, any intervention of that kind must take place in strict respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. Since the nineteenth century, as I mentioned previously, many conventions and resolutions recommend the protection of civilian populations in times of conflict.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source