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

“Only then will Syrians like Hala Kamil and her children, Sara, Farah, Helen and Mohammed, be able to contemplate a different and more humane future.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“Hala said, "I do not agree with those out there who say that there are two worlds, one for the political decision-makers and one for those who bear the consequences of their decisions. We who suffer those consequences must have some bearing on the actions or lack of action of the powerful." We should be guided by Hala's voice and the voices of the many Syrians who stand up every day to demand peace and help those who are suffering. To honour their sacrifices, we cannot continue to relay the same list of horrors, the same list but with different names, month after month, while Syria is descending into an irreparable state. Instead, there must an end to the sieges, an end to the barrel bombs and an end to the strikes on civilians.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“I would conclude with just one more thought. Last Friday, 19 August, was World Humanitarian Day, a day on which we honour those who have been killed trying to help others and those who risk their lives every day to relieve suffering. In Syria, hundreds of United Nations staff, Red Crescent staff and volunteers, workers in non-governmental organizations, doctors, nurses and White Helmet first-responders, like the late Khaled Omar Harrah, whose death Stephen O'Brien just noted, have all paid the ultimate price for their selflessness and bravery in the line of duty. At an event in the General Assembly Hall last Friday evening to mark World Humanitarian Day, Hala Kamil, a brave Syrian mother, whose family of four children fled Aleppo and who is featured in the Frontline: Children of Syria documentary, spoke to a jam-packed Hall.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“She was just one among countless men, women and children who might have been saved but for the Al-Assad regime's siege tactics. The steps that the parties need to take to fix this situation are well known. The Al-Assad regime must recognize that there is no military solution to the conflict. Those who enable and support Al-Assad's attacks, including Russia, must use their influence to bring the bombardments to an end. While we continue to negotiate for a resumption of the cessation of hostilities, Al-Assad's sieges, barrel bombs, strikes on medical facilities, obstruction of aid and use of incendiary weapons will make that goal ever-harder to attain. Negotiations require a show of good faith, but the Al-Assad regime has instead chosen to expand the fighting on the ground and deepen the suffering of the Syrian people.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“In July, five of eastern Aleppo's nine hospitals were struck, and only 35 doctors are left working. Those heroic doctors simply do not have the tools, the equipment or the medicine to provide the care that so many Syrians injured by the fighting desperately need. On 8 August, Dr. Zaher Sahloul, of the Syrian American Medical Society, told members of the Security Council about 10-year-old Shahad, a little girl critically injured when the Al-Assad regime dropped a barrel bomb on her house. While Shahad's wounds were serious, the doctor believed at the time that she could be saved with proper treatment, including a computerized tomography scan for diagnostics, which was not available to anyone in eastern Aleppo. Just one day after Dr. Sahloul talked with us about the urgent need for Shahad to be evacuated, the little girl died.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“In Dara'a, one of the first buildings struck after the regime's escalation of air strikes in late July was the Al-Radwan field hospital, which served more than 400,000 people, many of whom had fled violence in other parts of Syria. Air strikes had already destroyed the hospital twice, and the resilient people of Dara'a invested what little they had to rebuild the hospital both times. Local leaders must again make a gut-wrenching choice - try to rebuild the hospital a third time, only to see those resources potentially squandered by a future air strike, or give up and leave the people of Dara'a without critical medical care. The shortage of medical care in eastern Aleppo is prompting calls for medical evacuation, which the Al-Assad regime persistently ignores.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“We need to see Russia follow its unilateral declaration with genuine steps to support regular and sustained access to Aleppo. The pauses are not the solution to the problem of humanitarian deliveries. That requires a more comprehensive arrangement that revives the cessation of hostilities and ensures unimpeded humanitarian access nationwide. In the meantime, the people of Aleppo need the help of the United Nations right now. Another key factor that compounds Syria's humanitarian suffering is the Al-Assad regime's repeated destruction of hospitals and medical facilities. We have heard of six health-care centres, hospitals and laboratories hit by air strikes in the past five days.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“Aleppo is facing the threat of a double siege, with the regime bombarding the east and the opposition forces attacking the west. Some 1.8 million people, living in both sides ofAleppo, could be trapped and cut off from assistance unless all parties take immediate steps to allow for unfettered humanitarian access and unfettered humanitarian deliveries. Last week, Russia announced its support for the United Nations proposal to organize 48-hour weekly pauses in Aleppo, the bare minimum amount of time the United Nations needs to deliver aid. The United States supports such pauses, which could give Aleppo's residents a reprieve from daily bombardments and allow aid to get in. It is imperative that all armed groups in Aleppo respect the pauses and work with the United Nations to provide access to both sides of the city.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“The Al-Assad regime has failed month after month to provide for unfettered humanitarian access. This month, no United Nations conveys have departed, largely because of the Al-Assad regime's absurd bureaucratic obstructions. The regime has allowed no assistance for the people of eastern Aleppo this month. That affects up to 275,000 Syrians under siege. It has been nearly four months since Madaya, Zabadani, Al-Fouah and Kefraya received aid. More than two months have passed since aid has reached the besieged community of Al-Waer. While the United States condemns all parties to the conflict who use siege tactics, we must be clear that the Al-Assad regime and international backers are responsible for 78 per cent Syrians living under siege, the overwhelming majority.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“In the besieged community of Darayya, where it has been 74 days since the town's 4,000 residents have received a delivery of food or medicine from the United Nations, there are reports of civilians with burns that are consistent with napalm exposure, and we recall that yesterday marked the three-year anniversary of the gruesome chemical-weapons attack in Ghouta for which the United States remains determined to pursue accountability. The Al-Assad regime has shown no hesitation whatsoever to employ the most gruesome tactics in pursuit of military gains, from launching starve-and- surrender sieges to shoving crudely made barrel bombs from helicopters. This is the regime that Russia is supporting with its own air strikes and military advisers. The fighting is getting worse and so are the humanitarian consequences.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“Fronts that have been relatively quiet in recent months are once again being bombed by the regime. In Daraa governorate, for example, air strikes destroyed the town of Jasem's only hospital, and strikes against Busra al-Sham displaced thousands of people. In Idlib and Aleppo, Human Rights Watch has reported at least 18 attacks with incendiary weapons between 5 June and 10 August, which one resident of Idlib described as "blocks of flame falling from the sky".”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“Let us just pause and consider for a moment how much trauma little Omran must have experienced to react to the collapse of his home without even making a single sound. But let us also consider what will happen next for Omran and a generation of Syrian children like him, who have known nothing but war. Omran may now be discharged from one of the few remaining hospitals in eastern Aleppo, but he still faces the horror of Russian and Syrian air strikes that pummel his neighbourhood daily. As we learned over the weekend, Omran's older brother Ali died from the injuries that he received in the air strike, the result of the Al-Assad's regime wilful attacks to cut off eastern Aleppo. Across Syria, the Al-Assad regime is drawing upon Russian assistance to escalate the conflict.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“I thank Under Secretary-General O'Brien for his briefing. As we have heard from Under Secretary-General O'Brien and other colleagues, last week the world's attention was indeed transfixed by the shocked, blank stare of 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh, who looked out from the back of an ambulance after having been pulled from the rubble of his family's destroyed apartment building in eastern Aleppo. Perhaps, most striking, however, was Omran's silence. Even as the dust, debris and dried blood covered the young boy's face, he did not cry out, scream out for help and did not even call for his parents. All that Omran could do was look straight ahead and wipe the dirt from his hands on the ambulance seat.”
2016-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7757 (2016) · source
“I would like to thank President of the General Assembly Lykketoft for his commitment to the dialogues and for his enthusiasm in carrying out the letter and spirit of resolution 69/321. The time has come for us in the Security Council to fulfil our responsibility, as laid out clearly in the United Nations Charter and to show the world that we are up to the task of recommending for appointment the best person to lead the Organization as the next Secretary- General. We look forward to getting under way and to our first straw poll on Thursday. We think the Council should be decisive and aim for early agreement that would give the next Secretary-General time to prepare to assume the office. The United States looks forward to working with all Council members in this process.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“We understand that the Japanese Chair would like the Working Group to consider ways to revamp the note S/2010/507 of the President of the Security Council. We look forward to working with Japan and the rest of the Council on this effort. And consistent with the spirit of transparency, the process by which we are selecting the next Secretary-General has also undergone positive changes this year. Using General Assembly resolution 69/321 as our guide, we were pleased to participate in the many innovations created this year in response to calls from Member States and from the wider public to increase transparency in the selection process. We have supported its implementation every step of the way and have encouraged candidates to take advantage of the new procedures, especially the General Assembly informal dialogues.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“As a Council, we must ensure that our decisions must emerge from real discussions will we truly get at the facts. I would like to thank the Japanese delegation for its extremely capable stewardship of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Matters and the Angolan delegation for its work last year as well. Just the other day, the Council reached agreement on a note the Working Group produced on how to integrate newly elected members into our work (S/2016/619). In the past few years, the Working Group has made important contributions to the Council's daily work, drafting notes that improved our approach on preparing products, strengthened the continuity of the work of the Council's subsidiary organs and clarified how we set speaking order at meetings.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“We should not have to surmount procedural obstacles to learn more about dire human rights situations in North Korea or Ukraine or anywhere else. Behind closed doors in consultations, the Council needs to be more interactive and more oriented towards results. During our most recent presidencies, the United States injected into our proceedings additional ways for us to actually talk with each other, which has meant turning more regularly to the briefer for follow-up. It has meant urging Council members to jump back into the discussion, even if they had already made a statement. And it has meant Council members sometimes asking each other questions to clarify positions. The dictionary definition ofa consultation is a meeting for deliberation, discussion or decision, and we want to put an accent on that "decision" part.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“One of the most memorable Council events I was ever a part of was the meeting during our presidency on human trafficking, when we heard from Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a Yazidi victim of trafficking by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (see S/PV.7585). Her searing account was unforgettable and drove home the need for Member States - for all of us - to act to combat trafficking. Against this backdrop we do believe that the connection between human rights abuses and threats to international peace and security is clear and real and merits Council attention, which is why we wholeheartedly support briefings in the Council by officials from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“At a time when the Security Council is grappling with crises from South Sudan to Syria, when the Council's and the United Nations response to terrorism is ever more important, and with threats from pandemics to proliferation requiring united action, it is appropriate that we discuss our working methods. I would like to touch on three aspects: first, how we conduct meetings, including in consultations; secondly, the importance of the deliberations of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Matters; and finally, the selection of the Secretary-General. My delegation and others have tried to make Security Council meetings here in the open Chamber more topical and more oriented towards action. We have also tried to bring humanity into the Chamber and by that I mean real people.”
2016-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7740 (2016) · source
“The United States is truly grateful for his service, and we know that UNAMA will continue its work to build on the strong foundation he has laid. We all wish him well as he takes on new challenges.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“As we approach the conference on Afghanistan to be held in Brussels in October, we encourage the Afghan Government to continue to deliver on its reform commitments under the Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework and to make progress on electoral reform, private-sector reform and women's issues. Of course, the United States remains committed to working with UNAMA, which stands as a symbol of the world's commitment to the Afghan people. UNAMA must continue in its important efforts to help Afghanistan with governance, development and promoting respect for human rights, as well as to coordinate humanitarian assistance, donor support and counter-narcotics efforts and to support reconciliation. Finally, let me join others in thanking Special Representative Haysom for his tireless and exemplary efforts.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“President Ghani, though, asked that we hold him to his commitments at the London anti-corruption summit last month. We applaud his promises to establish a High Council on governance, the rule of law and anti-corruption, and to establish an anti-corruption justice centre, among other steps. The Afghan Government is making tangible progress on self-reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework indicators. Already 15 of the 39 goals under the Framework have been achieved, including the successful completion of the IMF's staff-monitored programme and the filing of asset declarations by senior officials.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“Despite the economic challenges facing Afghanistan, the Afghan Government successfully completed the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) staff-monitored programme on 13 April, meeting a series of IMF-designated benchmarks of progress towards improving Government revenues, strengthening the banking system and building a track record for a future IMF financial arrangement. We welcome the current negotiations with the IMF on a modest new programme with new benchmarks. We alsonotethatPresident Ghaniis takinginitiatives to root out corruption. He has worked to recover Kabul Bank assets and is reopening criminal cases against those who stole this money from the Afghan people. He has removed corrupt judges and other public officials. We all recognize, however, that countering corruption is a long-term process.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“It is not, however, indicative of a change in policy and does not foreshadow a new military initiative. TheUnitedStatesremainscommittedto encouraging the peace process between the Afghan Government and the Taliban, and we view such a process as the only avenue for ending the war. There is no military solution to the conflict. The Taliban must understand that they can achieve their goals, including the withdrawal of international military forces, only through a peace process that leads to a negotiated settlement. Now I should like to make a few points about reform. The security of Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the nation's economic and political stability and progress. It is important to recognize some of the significant, though largely unheralded, progress that the Afghan Government has made.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“Turning to reconciliation, in January Afghanistan and Pakistan, with support from the United States and China, launched the Quadrilateral Coordination Group on the Afghan Peace and Reconciliation Process to synchronize cooperation for the initiation of direct talks with the Taliban. The Quadrilateral Coordination Group has met five times since its formation in January and has endorsed key principles, terms of reference and a road map, which serve as a guiding framework. The Group is committed to exploring all avenues to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. The strike against Mullah Mansoor should serve as a clear signal to the Taliban that we are prepared to take action against those who plan to potentially harm United States personnel and who continue to oppose peace.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“The United States remains committed to assisting Afghanistan and the Resolute Support Mission. We will maintain 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of this year and 5,500 thereafter, located at a small number of bases, including at Baghlan, Jalalabad in the east, and Kandahar in the south. We will also continue to provide financial support for the Afghan forces. We encourage all other donors to the Afghan security forces to do the same. Afghanistan has requested donors to renew their funding for the Afghan forces at or near current levels through 2020. We urge donors to do so at, or ahead of, next month's NATO summit, in Warsaw.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“All participants reaffirmed their commitment to the prevention and mitigation of civilian casualties, and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and the National Directorate of Security, to strengthen the accountability and transparency of Afghan security institutions. We also recognize that the Afghan forces are fighting courageously to defend threatened populations, especially in Helmand and in parts of Baghlan and Kunduz. There is no question that Afghan forces have become more capable and professional. They have demonstrated the commitment to staying and fighting and, when control over territory is lost, to working tenaciously to regain it.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“Just yesterday we saw attacks by the Taliban and anti-Government forces continuing to take place in civilian-populated areas. We also remain deeply concerned by the terrorist activities of the Haqqani network, Al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Afghanistan, as well as the threat that improvised explosive devices continue to pose to the civilian population. In that regard, we commend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for facilitating a high-level dialogue on civilian protection this past May that brought together representatives of the Afghan Government, the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“I wish at the outset to thank Special Representative Haysom for his briefing. Afghanistan continues to demonstrate resilience in confronting significant security, governance and economic challenges. We recognize and welcome the gains made in Afghanistan over the past 15 years, and we all share an interest in preserving and building on these gains. We see three key themes as necessary for the continued development of Afghanistan: security, reconciliation and reform. First, with respect to security, the conflict continues to exact a significant toll on the civilian population with record high numbers this year, with almost a third of the victims being children. In April, the United Nations reported nearly 2,000 casualties in the first three months of the year, a 2 per cent increase compared with the number of civilian casualties in 2015.”
2016-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7722 (2016) · source
“We also need women in uniform to rebuild trust between law enforcement and communities, female correction officers and female counsellors to reach out to female inmates who are on the path to radicalization, and women legislators to support more inclusive public policies that address the unique grievances that drive individuals to terrorism. As Secretary of State Kerry has said, fighting the scourge of sexual violence requires all of those tools, including Security Council resolutions, better reporting and support to survivors. It especially requires holding criminals accountable and ending impunity. Instead of shaming the survivors, we must punish the perpetrators, and we must be ready to support and empower the survivors as they work to rebuild their lives.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“The United States has also committed nearly $40 million for support to victims of sexual violence in conflict, including in Nigeria, where the United States supports United Nations agencies, community groups and local non-governmental organizations that provide health-care services, including appropriate psychosocial counselling for women and children who have survived Boko Haram's horrific campaign. However, we recognize that support programmes are not enough. In order to combat sexual violence in conflict, women must have a seat at the table in resolving conflicts. Empowered women provide powerful antidotes to violent extremism and have critical contributions to make at every level of our struggle against sexual violence in conflict.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“In addition, the absence of targeted services for male victims not only fails to address the needs of boys and men, but could also contribute to the problem of underreporting. Bilateral efforts to counter conflict-related sexual violence and to improve accountability and documentation are also crucial. In 2014, the United States launched the Accountability Initiative to support the development of specialized justice-sector mechanisms to improve access to justice for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. We remain committed to strengthening efforts to protect all people from harm, exploitation, discrimination, abuse, gender- based violence and trafficking. We must, as all of the speakers have noted, hold perpetrators accountable, especially in conflict-affected environments.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“Those individuals are not only at a heightened risk of facing harassment, abuse and sexual violence committed by armed groups as a result of discriminatory social norms and attitudes, but they also face a strong stigma against reporting such abuses. We commend the Secretary-General for highlighting the victimization of men and boys in his report (S/2016/361). The United Nations and Member States must more fully embrace a general inclusive approach in sexual violence and gender-based violence programming. There is scant documentation on the subject, with little understanding of the prevailing patterns and the severity of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence against males, as compared to sexual and gender-based violence against girls and women.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“Member States must also work to ensure that labour practices, such as charging workers recruitment fees that can lead to debt bondage, do not contribute to human trafficking. We must teach people how to actually see the victims of trafficking. We must also make our resources for victims more victim- and survivor-centred, incorporating victims and survivors into policy-making process so as to yield better solutions. A further challenge is the lack of global documentation of the phenomenon of sexual and gender- based violence against all vulnerable communities, including those that are too often forgotten in this discourse, namely lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, as well as men and boys.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“Reports of smugglers demanding sex as payment of passage are rampant and part ofa global surge in human trafficking. With regard to Ms. Davis' intervention, that is why last month at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, the United States announced an additional $10 million contribution to the Safe from the Start initiative to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in emergency situations. The United States urges all Member States to condemn such crimes and those who commit them, to properly document such horrors so that one day those responsible can be held accountable, to commit to ending the conflicts that provide an ideal climate for human traffickers, and to commit to eradicating the groups that use human trafficking and conflict-related sexual violence as a weapon of war.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“The Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities represents a vital tool for us to punish perpetrators, since any individual who makes funds or other financial and economic resources available to ISIL and other terrorist groups, in connection with sexual violence, is eligible for designation in the 1267 sanctions regime. We must make full use of those tools. As noted by Special Rapporteur Giammarinaro, we also need to more to protect displaced women and girls whose heightened vulnerability puts them at increased risk of sexual violence and trafficking. Over the past year, we have seen the continuation of mass migration from Syria, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“We have seen steady growth in the use of sexual violence against women, men, girls and boys by terrorists not only in Iraq and Syria, but also in Somalia, Nigeria and Mali. Non-State armed groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) use sexual violence in a premeditated and systemic way to recruit fighters, raise money and intimidate and demoralize communities in order to consolidate their hold over territory. Resolutions 2199 (2015) and 2253 (2015) not only strongly condemn such acts by ISIL, Al-Qaida and their associates, but also work to strengthen accountability by encouraging all State and non-State actors with evidence to bring it to the attention of the Council.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“We also applaud her efforts to support the investigation of the 2009 stadium massacre in Guinea. In addition to the Special Representative's efforts, we value the work carried out by the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, which has assisted countries in the areas investigations and prosecutions, strengthening legal frameworks and ensuring the protection of victims and witnesses. However, significant challenges remain in countering sexual violence in conflict, especially when it comes to holding non-State armed groups and their partners and associates accountable for their crimes. In resolution 2242 (2015), the Council recognized the nexus of sexual violence, terrorism and violent extremism, which can be conducive to terrorism.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“We have put in many place many tools for countering conflict-related sexual violence inflicted by State and non-State armed groups, improving accountability, bringing perpetrators to justice, documenting violations against marginalized groups of victims, including women and girls, men and boys, ethnic and religious minorities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals. But we must do a betterjob making use of these tools. We commend Special Representative Bangura for her energetic efforts to translate the Council's resolutions into real, on-the-ground action. Her work with the national militaries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and armed groups on both sides of the conflict in South Sudan to help develop structures to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions has been particularly noteworthy.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for chairing and having organized this open debate and included the perspectives of civil society in our discussion. I also thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and leadership on this critical issue, and Special Representative Bangura, Special Rapporteur Giammarinaro and Ms. Davis for their briefings. The Council has long recognized that sexual and gender-based violence not only abuses and violates the human rights of its victims, but also undermines the security, livelihood and health of nations by suppressing survivors' participation in civic, social, political and economic life.”
2016-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7704 (2016) · source
“We need to be better at responding quickly and cohesively to the political drivers and roots of conflict. Before I conclude, I would like to quickly mention our work and the Secretary-General selection process, as I know that many Member States are eager for news of the Council's plans. Under your leadership, Sir, we held an any-other-business session last week in which we began to discuss the next steps in fulfilling our important responsibilities to select the next head of the Organization. We look forward to further discussions under France's presidency in June to finalize the procedures for our upcoming deliberations. In conclusion, I thank you, Sir, for your steady and professional leadership of the Council this month.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“Turning to our meeting last week with the African Union (S/PV.7694), we welcome such opportunities to examine how best the two organizations can work together to achieve our common goals. Given the large percentage ofUnited Nations troops deployed in Africa, coupled with the fact that over half of those serving in the continent are themselves African, we have much to gain from enhanced communication between the two bodies. We know that the AU can be a particularly effective partner in responding to the security crises in its own backyard, including those unfortunate cases in which offensive military operations are required. The Security Council and AU Peace and Security Council have common priorities and agree on many issues, but we also need to deal with the differences that can emerge inside each of our respective Councils.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“We strongly condemn ISIL's current offensive in Aleppo, which threatens thousands of civilians and has also targeted medical facilities and staff. Those issues are now covered in resolution 2286 (2016), in which the Council demands protection for medical and humanitarian personnel, hospitals and other medical facilities. The resolution also emphasizes the responsibilities of States to comply with international law, end impunity and ensure accountability for those responsible, and urges States to conduct investigations into such violations. We feel strongly about those principles, wherever such violence occurs, be it in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan or elsewhere.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“That leads me to several points that I would like to make with regard to our recent meeting on health care in armed conflict (S/PV.7685), which provided an opportunity to further examine the human consequences of attacks in Syria and elsewhere. The increasing trend of violence against medical personnel, facilities and transportation is clear in Syria. The attacks are so frequent that, as Under-Secretary- General Stephen O'Brien has told us, proximity to a hospital is now perceived by neighbours to be a threat to their own safety. As we noted in that meeting, over 725 doctors have been killed and over 350 attacks on medical facilities have taken place, the vast majority of which have been committed by the regime, although the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has also directed multiple bombings of medical centres.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“The United States has worked with Special Envoy De Mistura and, in particular, with the Russian Federation to reaffirm the cessation of hostilities across the country, and specifically that the parties agree to recommit to the truce in Aleppo and the Damascus suburbs. Yet the violence has continued, as we can see. Secretary Kerry has raised these concerns with Foreign Minister Lavrov and urged him to press the regime to cease at once air strikes against opposition forces and innocent civilians. Still, as we saw yesterday, there are reports that numerous civilians were killed as buildings around the national hospital in Idlib were struck. Again, at the last meeting in Vienna, all members of the International Syria Support Group urged full compliance of the parties with the terms of the cessation.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“Resolution 2254 (2015) calls for rapid, safe and unhindered access throughout the country. Resolution 2139 (2014) specifically forbids the removal of medicines and medical supplies from aid convoys, but, as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports, that is routine throughout the country. For our part, we will continue to urge all parties to comply fully across the country and specifically call for an end to the Al-Assad regime's continued offensive attacks in Aleppo, Latakia and elsewhere, as well as its besieging of towns and obstruction of humanitarian access.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“Yet as we discussed earlier this month, the cessation of hostilities has given way to violence, and the regime has disregarded international agreements on reducing the violence and providing humanitarian access, as outlined in resolutions 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016), effectively undermining the conditions needed for political negotiations. While all sides have contributed to the return to violence, the military escalation and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools and markets, are largely attributable to the actions of the Al-Assad regime, and, as attacks continue, the regime has restricted humanitarian access and blocked aid, including medical supplies to people in desperate need. It has deliberately targeted first responders, health-care workers and medical facilities.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“I would like to take the opportunity of this wrap-up session to highlight several current pressing security concerns, including the situation in Syria, the issue of health care in armed conflict, and our ongoing efforts to increase cooperation between the Council and the African Union (AU) on security issues. As we have for many months, the Council in May has focused on the political, humanitarian and security situations in Syria. As Special Envoy De Mistura has stressed, there are three interlinked elements needed for peace in Syria: stopping the fighting, improving humanitarian access and engaging in political negotiations to bring about a political transition.”
2016-05-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7703 (2016) · source
“We also welcome the acknowledgement by Libyan authorities that Saif Al-Qadhafi is not in their custody, and we urge the Government of national accord to take appropriate steps to seek Al-Qadhafi's transfer to the International Criminal Court. Ending impunity is only one of several critical challenges the Government of national accord faces, although success in that regard will reinforce progress in others. We appreciate the contribution that Prosecutor Bensouda and her Office have made in helping to promote accountability in Libya, which reinforces what we continue to say: that the Government and the Libyan people are far from alone as they stand at the beginning of this new chapter in Libya's history, and that the United States and many other partners will stand with them as they seek to build ajust and lasting peace.”
2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7698 (2016) · source
“To promote a culture of accountability in Libya, we strongly support efforts to promote a reckoning for the abuses that were committed in the final days of the Al-Qadhafi regime, including the crimes against humanity of murder and persecution, for which Saif Al-Qadhafi is alleged to have been responsible in the course of helping carrying out a policy to attack civilians who were holding demonstrations against his father's Government. We welcome what the Prosecutor has continued to describe as a cooperative relationship between Libya's prosecutorial authorities and her Office, and we urge the Government of national accord to sustain and build upon that relationship, consistent with the Security Council's continuing call for Libya to cooperate with the Prosecutor.”
2016-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7698 (2016) · source