YouSaid · the spoken record

Sison

lines on the record: 852
first: 2014-12-22
most recent: 2018-01-23
sittings or episodes: 124
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

“Today's vote to renew the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) should be sending an unambiguous message to the Libyan people that their efforts in forging a path to peace and stability are undertaken with the broad support of the international community and that the tireless work of UNSMIL is recognized as critically important and necessary as it undertakes to support, advise and assist the Government ofNational Accord. The United States lauds UNSMIL'S efforts. We look forward to its continued work to facilitate the Libyan-led political solution to the challenges facing Libya. We are eager to learn of its continued progress and we offer it our strong support.”
2016-12-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7832 (2016) · source
“As the origin of the Syrian crisis has been raised by others who just took the floor, in March 2011 protests against Bashar Al-Assad began in Syria. He responded with brutal violence, which dramatically escalated the situation, and then relied upon others to support him. The United Nations responded with numerous resolutions and communiques, which all start with a ceasefire, and that is what we tried to do today. Any allegations to the contrary about the United States on this matter are absurd.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“So while Russia has taken advantage of its permanent seat on the Council to block today's draft resolution, the rest of us have an obligation to continue to search for other ways to pressure Russia and the Al-Assad regime to stop this devastating assault. And each time an approach comes up short, we must be willing to try another strategy to end the carnage. We can all fight harder and dig deeper to make sure that Russia never evades scrutiny for its actions in Syria, to make sure that we are never silent in the face of these atrocities and to make sure that we apply maximum pressure to bring this barbaric military campaign to a halt.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“We also greatly appreciate Egypt's leadership in preparing and advocating for this draft resolution for weeks and for speaking on behalf of the countries in the region most directly affected by the conflict to demand a halt to Russia and the Al-Assad's regime's brutal campaign, calls that Russia has blatantly defied in vetoing this draft resolution. But in the face of this callous act, we must not give up. The civilians of eastern Aleppo cannot stop the bombs from falling on them or get their hands on the food and medicine they need to survive; but we who are not trapped there do have that power.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“And finding places to bury the dead in eastern Aleppo is getting harder and harder. Cemeteries are full; they have been full for a long time now. People have started to dig shallow graves in public parks, rushing to dig so as to avoid the fate of Modar's father. They have even stopped burying loved ones in the daytime; it is simply too dangerous. Russia and China's vetoes mean that we on the Council have failed to stop this destruction. History will remember that Russia once again, together with China and Venezuela, thwarted the Council's efforts to act to help the Syrian people for the second time in as many months. The United States recognizes New Zealand and Spain for their tireless efforts to find a way here in the Security Council to stop the fighting in eastern Aleppo.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“Because of today's vetoes, now we have none of that. So Syrians trapped in eastern Aleppo will continue to have to choose between two hells: stay put and be barrel-bombed, starved and mortared to death, or try to escape and risk being bombed or picked off by snipers on the journey or tortured or disappeared by regime forces. Let me share what just one resident of Eastern Aleppo faced this past week. Modar Shekho is an emergency nurse. His brother was killed last Sunday, reportedly by an artillery strike. Modar's father then went out to search for a place to bury his son. As the father searched, he, too, was killed, hit by an airstrike. So Modar lost his brother and his father. Think about that: parents being killed as they look for places to bury their children.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“They have vetoed the evacuation of sick and dying people who have no chance of surviving in the bombed-out hospitals and clinics of eastern Aleppo. The have vetoed the delivery of food to civilians who could starve to death and, in the case of vulnerable children, suffer lifelong effects from severe malnutrition. They have vetoed the lives of innocent Syrians. This action is a death sentence for innocent men, women and children. We had no illusions about today's draft resolution offering a lasting solution to the fighting in Aleppo, much less in all of Syria. But if implemented, it unquestionably would have saved the lives of Syrian civilians. It would have eased their suffering, if only for a week, and it just might have created space for other, more durable solutions to emerge beyond a brief pause in the killing.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“This was no political draft resolution. Its purpose was, in fact, quite simple: stop the bombing, stop the shelling and get people help. It probably should not even have been necessary to propose this draft resolution. After all, the Council has long demanded that the regime enable immediate and unhindered humanitarian assistance, and, of course, international humanitarian law requires that civilians not be targeted. The situation in eastern Aleppo is so dire that the Council has to demand that the parties respect the norms that all of us know should apply. Let me tell the Council what Russia and China have vetoed today in blocking this draft resolution and allowing the bombardment of eastern Aleppo to continue. They have vetoed the delivery of basic medicine to people who will die without it.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“Russia, together with its ally, Bashar Al-Assad, will keep bombing these people instead. Today we will hear a lot of words from Russia; we have heard a lot already. But it is Russia's action using its veto to block a brief humanitarian pause that speaks volumes today. The raised hands that blocked today's draft resolution (S/2016/1026) to aid suffering civilians shows us everything we need to know about Russia's intentions in Syria, and Russia has no one to blame for its veto today except itself. If it had been adopted and implemented, the draft resolution that Russia and China vetoed today would have established a seven-day pause in the fighting in eastern Aleppo. That pause would have allowed life-saving humanitarian aid to get into eastern Aleppo and allowed civilians who wished to escape to leave.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“Abu Jaafar, a coroner in eastern Aleppo, recently told a reporter, "You know, it is not our job to bury people, but if we do not, no one else will. Where we used to bury one man, we now lay down entire families. We dig and we dig; it never ends". We dig and we dig; it never ends. Today we had a chance not to end but to briefly stop the ongoing butchery in eastern Aleppo. We have failed because of a cynical act. With a wave of their hands, Russia, China and Venezuela showed that they do not want the suffering of eastern Aleppo to end. They have heard the cries of people who are pleading for their lives, people cowering in the basements oftheir ruined homes, people who are picking through trash to find a morsel to eat, and they said, "No, the Security Council cannot help you".”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“Each time Russia has followed up its promises with yet another relentless round of bombing, with horrific human consequences. We remain directly engaged with key countries, including Russia, to address the horrific situation on the ground, but we will not let Russia string along the Security Council while waiting for a compromise from the Russians that never seems to come.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“We have heard the representative of Russia talk about conversations with the United States. Russia says that it was on the cusp of reaching a deal with the United States to allow for some resolution of the situation in eastern Aleppo, and that the draft resolution (S/2016/1026) before us undermines the negotiation. That is a made-up alibi. The United States, including Secretary Kerry, has continued our bilateral conversations with Russia to try to find some way to relieve the suffering around eastern Aleppo. However, we have not reached a breakthrough because Russia has been more focused on preserving its military gains than on helping Aleppo's civilians. Russia has many times before held out the vague prospect of some diplomatic deal to argue for delaying action at the Security Council.”
2016-12-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7825 (2016) · source
“We must not lose the momentum we have built here at the United Nations in partnership with OIC and other groups and in our own States and societies in countering violent extremism.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Here at the United Nations, we all often emphasize and re-emphasize that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion or nationality but we are not the audience we need to convince. We must continue to do all that we can to convey that message within our own societies. In the 2015 White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, President Obama noted that inexcusable acts of violence have been committed in the United States and around the world by people of different faiths and that it is not unique to any one group, geography or period of time. That principle is a fundamental part of the United States national strategy to counter violent extremism.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“But such rights are also practically important, indeed essential, to successfully counter violent extremism. Voices from outside Governments, civil society, community activists, youth leaders, often have more credibility with their peers, fellow citizens, than we as Government officials do on that topic. Generally speaking, they are better advocates for moderation, understanding and peace than we are. We need to ensure that such voices have the freedom, space and confidence to speak. Thirdly, we must rededicate ourselves to working to counter intolerance and discrimination against any religious group, including Muslims, in each of our countries.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“There is no single step that would do more to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United Nations and OIC. A second way to enhance the strategic partnership is to recommit ourselves to upholding human rights in all of our activities to counter violent extremism. It is easy for all of us to say that we respect and promote human rights in our countering violent extremism efforts but what matters is whether we actually protect such rights in practice: the right to freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly. It is vital for the United Nations and OIC to enshrine human rights in their countering violent extremism strategies and act when States fail to do so. Of course, such rights are intrinsically important because our people - all people - are entitled to them.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Such a coordinator would improve communication between the United Nations and OIC on counter-terrorism issues, speaking authoritatively from the United Nations side with a single voice on behalf of the multitude of United Nations entities engaged in countering violent extremism. The coordinator could be a more effective liaison between the United Nations and OIC than is possible under the current framework, which could benefit both organizations. In addition, the coordinator could harness the potential of the Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force to provide technical and other assistance to Member States and international organizations. Accordingly, we urge all States, in particular OIC members, to express support for such a coordinator to the incoming Secretary- General and his transition team.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“I would highlight in particular the fruitfulness of the cooperation between OIC and the Global Counter- Terrorism forum in bringing together a diverse group of religious scholars, academics, Government officials and experts in the field of education and preventing violent extremism to discuss best practices and the role of religious education in promoting peace. So how can we build on that recent work by the United Nations and OIC to create an even stronger strategic partnership? One way would be to create a high-level coordinator for the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Then, in January of this year, the Secretary-General presented his Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism to the General Assembly, which included wise recommendations well worth implementing, such as the call for the development of national and regional action plans to prevent violent extremism. This past July, in its fifth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the General Assembly urged States to unite against violent extremism, as and when conducive to terrorism. The United States welcomes the steps taken by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to partner with the United Nations on that agenda, together with other organizations. We are appreciative of OIC's support of statements on 16 January and 8 April for the Secretary- General's Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“Ithank Assistant Secretary- General, Mr. Miroslav Jenea; Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr. Hameed Opeloyeru; and Mr. Souleymane Bachir Diagne for joining us. Our discussion today is a timely one. Over the past two years, States Members of the United Nations have shown an unprecedented willingness to collaborate on preventing violent extremism. In December 2014, resolution 2178 (2014) called on States to engage local communities and non-governmental actors to counter violent extremism. That was a major step forward. For the first time, the need to counter violent extremism was recognized in a Security Council resolution and an essential element of the solution was identified.”
2016-11-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7813 (2016) · source
“The Libyan people face an array of challenges, and only they can take the steps needed to resolve their country's crisis. However, they should know that they do not stand alone. We are encouraged by the agreement reached in August between representatives from Misrata and Tawergha, cities that fought bitterly in 2011 but have now agreed to compensate the victims of abuses and allow the return of the internally displaced, a process that was assisted by the good offices of the United Nations Mission. We appreciate the continued work of Special Representative of the Secretary- General Martin Kobler and the attention of the Council and of the Human Rights Council to the situation. The United States will continue to work with our partners in pursuit of a lasting peace for Libya.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“While we recognize that Saif Al-Islam Al-Qadhafi is not in the Libyan Government's custody, we continue to urge the Government of National Accord to take the appropriate steps to seek his transfer to the International Criminal Court, consistent with Libya's obligations under resolution 1970 (2011) and the repeated calls of the Security Council for Libya to cooperate fully with the ICC and the Prosecutor. To the extent that other actors continue to frustrate that process, we encourage the Council to add its voice to the call for Mr. Al-Qadhafi to be transferred to The Hague and face charges there for the crimes against humanity that he has alleged to have committed. We appreciate the Prosecutor's efforts to help ensure that the victims of such atrocities do not escape our continued focus.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“In that vein, the atrocities allegedly committed in the last days of the Al-Qadhafi regime may seem far removed from today's conflict, but we believe that promoting accountability for those acts remains a key element of the broader effort to re-establish the rule of law in Libya. The ICC investigation has helped to ensure that the Al-Qadhafi regime's acts in early 2011 were seen as the crimes that they are, and that those responsible for such acts could not count on impunity. We remain encouraged by the reports of continued cooperation between Libya's judicial authorities and the Office of the Prosecutor.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“We call on all parties to refrain from unlawfully targeting civilians, and we urge that those responsible for serious crimes be held accountable. Much more must be done to establish a functioning justice system that is capable of addressing that problem. We are encouraged by the progress of the forces aligned with the Government of National Accord in retaking the city of Sirte. We look forward to seeing that progress further consolidated in the coming days and weeks. The presence of Da'esh is a threat to Libya's future and to regional security. Its eventual military defeat must be reinforced with progress towards reconciliation, dialogue and the rule of law.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“Violations and abuses continue to be committed against people from a broad range of vulnerable populations, ranging from civilians who are subject to indiscriminate or even deliberate attacks, to captured combatants who have been tortured and killed, to migrants who have sought to pass through Libya and have been inhumanely detained, extorted, sexually assaulted and otherwise exploited by smugglers and traffickers. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has reported that there is "total impunity" for serious abuses that are committed by armed groups. Those violations and abuses are appalling in their own right. Furthermore, they create grievances that sustain the broader political crisis, and therefore work against our common efforts to achieve a lasting peace.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“The Presidency Council should present an inclusive new Cabinet proposal, and the House of Representatives must fulfil its duty to allow a free and fair vote on that Cabinet. The Libyan Political Agreement is of course a transitional framework. We urge the constitutional drafting assembly to complete its work as quickly as possible and, in 2017, Libya should hold a referendum on a new Constitution and elect a new Government. Nothing could more clearly emphasize the human stakes of making political progress than the reports of civilian suffering that the Security Council continues to receive.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“I thank the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for her report and for her continued engagement with the Security Council on the importance of accountability for atrocity crimes committed in Libya. Libya's ongoing crisis provides a climate of impunity for such crimes. More broadly, it has impeded the ability of the Libyan people to see the hope of their country's revolution translated into an enduring foundation for peace, stability and prosperity. The next step towards a solution is a stable, unified and inclusive Government. The international community must therefore help Prime Minister Serraj to consolidate progress towards implementing the Libyan Political Agreement and strengthen Libya's institutions. To that end, we urge Libyans on all sides to make progress towards national reconciliation.”
2016-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7806 (2016) · source
“Now, even a single chemical-weapon attack is one too many, but why would any Council member risk going back to the world we had before the JIM, when there were many more such attacks? Why would we create a new gap in the international system? Others may argue that we should broaden the JIM's mandate so as to focus on multiple countries. To take time and resources from the JIM's work in Syria would constitute a significant distraction and further delay its critical work. The JIM. was set up in Syria for a specific reason - to find out who was involved - and for that reason it should remain focused on Syria. We look forward to discussions in the next few days. It is imperative that the JIM. be allowed to continue this critically important and unfinished work.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“Five minutes later, the mother also died." The question is, why would the Council not want to know who was involved in those attacks? Why would we stop the work of the JIM. when there are multiple credible allegations of the use of chemical weapons that have yet to be fully investigated? And why would we stop a group whose findings could one day help to hold accountable those involved in such grotesque acts? The answer is simple. We must condemn and hold responsible whomever is involved in those chemical-weapon attacks. The JIM. is a key tool for helping us to do that. We cannot pinpoint its precise deterrent value, but we can say that in the year since it was created, the number of reported attacks has significantly decreased.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“Lest we lose sight of the effects of such weapons, I will give one example from the many first-hand accounts. Here is what a doctor observed after an incident on 10 August in which a helicopter reportedly dropped a barrel bomb containing a toxic chemical on Aleppo's Zabdiya neighbourhood. He said that at first, two children and their mother arrived at the hospital. "The children were unconscious and unresponsive. Their mother was shivering, coughing and wheezing. She could barely breathe and was drooling heavily from her mouth. Her clothes were covered in a wet substance with a sharp smell, like chlorine. The two kids went into cardiac arrest after around 15 minutes. We tried to resuscitate them, to no avail.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“In other words, an independent, impartial body of experts operating under a mandate of the Security Council has determined unambiguously that a State Member of the United Nations has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its own people. The JIM. has also found the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) at fault for the chemical weapons attack on Marea. We have seen the allegations of additional use and agree that use by terrorists poses a profound threat. Use by ISIL is yet one more affirmation of the importance of the United States-led coalition's fight against that monstrous group. We reaffirm the importance of the JIM. maintaining its mandate to investigate alleged use by any actors, whether they by the Syrian air force or terrorist groups.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“The international system had a huge gap in its prevention and response architecture. The work of the JIM. is critically important to identifying the individuals, entities, groups or Governments involved in chemical weapons attacks. That information is invaluable to the Council, to the international community and to the victims of those dreadful attacks. Last Thursday's Council briefing by the JIM. panel and Under-Secretary-General Kim Won-soo was deeply sobering. As we all know, the JIM affirmed yet another incident in which the Al-Assad regime used chemical weapons. That was the third attack in which the JIM. has reached that conclusion. There is credible evidence that there have been many more chemical weapons attacks by the regime.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“The United States welcomes the decision of the Security Council to extend the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). This brief extension is intended to give the Council additional time to ensure the renewal of the JIM. mandate for another year. The Council faces some very difficult decisions around its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. This should not be one of them. All of us need only recall the situation before the JIM. was created to address chemical weapons allegations in Syria. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was able to tell us that chemical weapons were used, but there was no mechanism to ascertain who was using them. As a result, users of chemical weapons felt that they enjoyed complete impunity.”
2016-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7798 (2016) · source
“Those are the standards that the United States expects from the regional organizations of which we are a member, and they are the standards that we should expect from them all.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“The United States record of promoting strong and increasing cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations around the world - including NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the African Union, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, among many others - is clear and unwavering. As we consider strengthening cooperation with additional regional organizations, it is imperative that we ask ourselves whether the activities of those organizations advance the purposes and principles of the United Nations, whether their decision-making represents the diversity of their States members and whether they exhibit the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to regional crises.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“Such isolation and persecution can indeed foment grievances that are drivers of violent extremism. The freedom of expression and the free flow of information are in fact reliable defenses against violence and conflict. A free and Vigorous civil society is one of the most effective means to address radicalization and Violent extremism online and offline. Civil society organizations are vital in developing and sharing credible counter-narratives that disrupt the radicalization process and counter violent extremism.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“In the rush to respond effectively, however, States and regional organizations must resist the temptation to criminalize the freedom of expression, limit the freedom of association or bar legitimate political opposition. We saw such overreach in the recently introduced draft resolution on countering extremist ideology and propaganda. We are concerned that the counter-terrorism policies proposed by these regional organizations at times also excessively infringe upon individual liberties and political freedoms. Restrictions on the freedom of expression and on the activities of civil society, especially restrictions that target minority groups, inevitably backfire. Such restrictive policies are counter-productive to a State's ability to engage with communities that are the greatest terrorist recruitment targets.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“As with Russia's involvement in both Georgia and Ukraine, we have seen that the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization were unable to defend, or even advocate for, the principle of territorial integrity. The organizations we endorse must also ensure that they respect international obligations and commitments, particularly with regard to counter-terrorism efforts. As we see across our agenda, States sometimes struggle to safeguard both security and individual liberty. Emergent security threats from terrorist organizations and from those advocating for violent extremism are real. And effectively countering the exploitation of porous borders and misuse of technologies like the Internet is not easy.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“Where these kinds of legitimate joint efforts between the United Nations and regional organizations are consistent with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and applicable conventions, covenants and treaties, they will find a strong supporter in the United States. But regional organizations are strongest when they reflect the goals and aspirations of all of their members, rather than the dominance of a few. When one or two States set the agenda and determine the positions of the entire group, they are no longer truly regional, and the diversity that they can bring to partnerships with the United Nations system is impaired.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“As we consider strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and specific regional organizations, it is imperative that we ensure that these shared principles and obligations are also respected and strengthened, not undermined or eroded. Strong and coordinated actions by the United Nations, regional organization and partner States have brought peace, prevented and mitigated conflict and helped coordinate reconstruction and development after conflicts have ended. Such actions have contributed to humanitarian response efforts, fought terrorism and cyberthreats and strengthened efforts to combat illegal trafficking and organized crime. From the Balkans to the shipping routes off the Horn of Africa to Afghanistan, regional organizations are a force multiplier.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“One way we can address those capacity gaps is through strong and coordinated action by the United Nations and regional organizations. Such cooperation has the potential to strengthen the responsiveness, agility and breadth of the international community's approach to our many challenges. But in order to realize this potential, regional organizations must prioritize the interests of all of their members. They must respect international obligations and commitments and act in accordance with the decisions of the Security Council and the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Above all, States must maintain their sovereign right to make their own decisions, without coercion from other States - decisions about the organizations and alliances in which they choose to participate.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“First, I want to thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and for his leadership in building strong partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations. I thank the Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Mr. Bordyuzha; the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mr. Alimov; and the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mr. Ivanov, for joining us here today. Our discussion today is a timely one. The work of anticipating and effectively responding to armed conflict, transnational terrorism, refugee and migrant flows, cyberthreats, drug trafficking and organized crimes goes beyond the capacity of any one State.”
2016-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7796 (2016) · source
“Miraculously, with the help of doctors in Turkey, Shaima was able to survive and one day she may even be able to see again, once her family raises enough money for an eye operation. Shaima went through an unspeakable horror, but access to medical care will give her a future. As Shaima told a reporter, "I just want to go back to school. I know I will be there soon". Fellow Council members, we must all do more for the children in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria and in so many other conflict areas - for the children who need that same chance.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The vaccine is easy to administer and is very inexpensive. But every single day that vaccines cannot be delivered, more and more Nigerian children are at risk of lifelong disability or death, so a new generation will certainly feel the consequences of the conflict. So much changes when the children in a conflict zone are able to access the medical care they desperately need. Last November, a sniper in eastern Aleppo shot six-year-old Shaima in the face, blinding her. However, unlike so many children who are now besieged in eastern Aleppo, Shaima was able to get out of the city in November. She told her father, "It is okay that the sniper hit me - I am not sad. God meant it to be this way and I know I will get better".”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The United States also works actively with the ICRC and non-governmental organizations to refine how we distinguish between combatants and civilians. The United States will continue to do all it can to reduce civilian casualties and to be transparent about how we meet that goal. Let me conclude by focusing on the human consequences of attacks on and obstruction and interference in health care in armed conflict. When people are denied health care today, the consequences will be felt long, long after current conflicts end. In Nigeria, for example, vaccines are not being delivered to areas of fighting between the Government and Boko Haram. The result is that polio has re-emerged as a threat to Nigerian children, with two cases discovered last month. Polio is a disease that was cured in the 1950s.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“We accept responsibility for the strike and we have repeatedly expressed our deepest regret for it. The United States Department of Defense took full responsibility, conducted a full and transparent investigation and made the results of that investigation publically known. We have since taken steps to learn from Kunduz in order to minimize the likelihood of any future incidents. Moreover, in July President Obama released an executive order on United States policy on pre- and post- strike measures to address civilian casualties in United States operations involving the use of force. The policy is the first of its kind. The executive order commits every component of the United States Government to work together towards the goal of reducing civilian casualties and to be transparent and learn from them when they do occur.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“We have stressed that unacceptable strikes on schools, hospitals and other civilian objects must stop, and we call on the coalition to publicly release the results of the investigations that it has launched into such incidents. We also call on the Houthis and their allies to cease the indiscriminate launch of rockets against Saudi Arabia and the shelling of civilian areas within Yemen, causing numerous civilian casualties. All parties need to comply with international humanitarian law. To alleviate suffering, the United States urges the parties to commit to an immediate cessation of hostilities, enabling humanitarian needs to be addressed without fear of attack. Many have also criticized the United States for the erroneous air strike on an MSF hospital in Kunduz a year ago.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“At a minimum, Council members and countries in the region need to use whatever channels of influence that they have available to insist that all parties to the conflict in South Sudan stop this violence against humanitarian and medical personnel immediately. In Yemen, the United States shares the grave concern that MSF has expressed with regard to the attacks that have struck its medical facilities. The United Nations has verified 59 attacks affecting hospitals in Yemen in 2015 by all parties. The United States has engaged the Saudi-led coalition to emphasize the imperative of the need to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm or, in any even, minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“The protection of medical facilities and personnel, as well as humanitarian personnel, continues to be eroded in conflicts around the world. In South Sudan, one of the world's most dangerous countries for aid workers, in August alone the United Nations recorded 64 incidents of violence against humanitarian workers and the equipment that they use to deliver care. Last February, an attack on the protection of civilians site in Malakal destroyed an international corps and medical facility, and killed two MSF staff. Humanitarian organizations have recorded the parties to the conflict killing patients, torching clinics, stealing medicine and threatening medical staff.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source
“We cannot forget that the tactics used in eastern Aleppo are the very same ones that the Al-Assad regime patented years ago and has deployed throughout Syria, systematically removing medical supplies from assistance convoys, denying medical evacuations, bombing hospitals to pieces and killing first responders in unconscionable double-tap attacks. Since 2011, the highly respected group, Physicians for Human Rights has documented 382 attacks on 269 medical facilities in Syria. Not one week goes by without another report ofa hospital having been struck. The actions ofthe Al-Asaad regime and Russia are contrary to the demands of resolution 2286 (2016), which we unanimously adopted only five months ago. This campaign against health-care sites and medical workers in Syria must end.”
2016-09-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7779 (2016) · source