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

“In March 2013, recognizing the absence of women in the formal process, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region convened consultations with women leaders and civil society groups across the region, seeking to link their community-level effort in building peace to the regional and the national implementation committees. In January 2014, the Great Lakes Women's Plaform for the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework was launched by the Special Envoy, and it provides grants to women's organizations already working to implement peace in the region. We applaud the dedicated leadership by the United Nations and the countries of the Great Lakes region for recognizing that women were missing from the table and for taking the steps necessary to change that.”
2016-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7658 (2016) · source
“In February 2013, for example, 11 countries in the Great Lakes region of Africa signed a peace accord to address decades of violence in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region was a landmark document to be sure. But it was also negotiated and adopted without any women having participated in the negotiations. The technical committees formed to oversee the implementation and the monitoring of the agreement also did not include any women.”
2016-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7658 (2016) · source
“I would like to suggest three areas where we should redouble our efforts: first, in helping women overcome systemic obstacles to political participation; secondly, in addressing gender- based violence; and, thirdly, in tranlating the women and peace and security norms established by the Security Council into concrete success in the real world. When women actively participate at all levels of political decision-making, we know that we are all safer, that our efforts at peacebuilding are stronger and that around the world Constitutions and peace agreements are more inclusive, just and lasting. But women in Africa continue to face, and to overcome, systemic obstacles to their political participation at all levels of decision-making.”
2016-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7658 (2016) · source
“This debate should also help more women gain positions of leadership and seats at the negotiating table where issues of peace and security are decided, especially as women and girls face more complex and emerging threats, including those posed by the harsh reality of terrorism and violent extremism. It is undeniable that some progress on the women and peace and security agenda has been made across Africa since the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) in 2000. We appreciate the efforts of the 18 African countries that have developed national action plans that seek to institutionalize the greater participation of women throughout government and society. But there is still much work to be done.”
2016-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7658 (2016) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for chairing and organizing this open debate and I thank Under-Secretary-General Mlambo-Ngcuka for her briefing and her stewardship of UN-Women. I would like to extend a special thanks also to Ms. Paleki Ayang for her briefing on the perspective of civil society. Indeed, I thank all five rule 39 briefers for their very useful perspectives this morning. Today's debate provides us all with an excellent opportunity to take stock of the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda in Africa. Quite frankly, I hope today's session will do much more than that.”
2016-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7658 (2016) · source
“With the renewal of UNAMA's mandate, the Council will once again demonstrate its collective commitment to Afghanistan and to the Afghan people. We thank Special Representative Haysom again and reaffirm our support for his ongoing efforts to ensure UNAMA effectively discharges its mandate, namely, exercising good offices, promoting human rights and the rule of law, coordinating humanitarian assistance and donor support, and countering narcotics. In the face of tremendous obstacles, the Afghan Government has made great strides towards its stated goals; however, there is much work to be done. The Government's continued focus on the tasks ahead remains imperative. The international community must continue to buttress Afghanistan's efforts with technical, financial and moral support.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“In 2016, the international community will have an opportunity to renew security and development assistance for Afghanistan at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in Warsaw in July and at the Brussels ministerial meeting on development in October. We encourage nations to sustain their commitments for financial and security assistance through the transformation decade. I would like to conclude with a few words about the importance of UNAMA. We agree with the Tripartite Review Commission's assessment that Afghanistan continues to demand significant international assistance; it is essential for the country to achieve political and economic stability and security. UNAMA is representative of our common resolve to be Afghanistan's partner.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“Accordingly, we commend and strongly support the Afghan Government's efforts to foster a peace and reconciliation process with the Taliban and other armed groups. Moreover, we welcome the support from regional partners to advance this Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiative. We will continue to work through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group to do our part to advance the peace process. On the economic front, we welcome President Ghani's efforts to increase regional connectivity. We also commend the Government for its significantly increased revenue collection in 2015. Slow economic growth remains a serious concern, and we encourage the Government to take steps to improve the investment climate for both foreign and domestic businesses.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“Governance and development remain critical elements for stability and progress; therefore, we encourage the Afghan Government to continue to fill key leadership positions in Government, follow through on its Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework reform commitments and make progress towards electoral reform. We welcome the recommendations announced by the Special Electoral Reform Commission, as they represent an important step in strengthening public confidence in the electoral process and in democratic institutions. We continue to believe that outreach from the Government to all major segments of society is critical, as those who feel excluded are more likely to undermine the National Unity Government and foster greater instability.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“As the Special Representative also noted, perhaps none have endured more suffering than the most vulnerable Afghans - children - who sadly comprised a significant number of last year's casualties and who continue to be exploited by anti-Government elements. As the security of Afghanistan is so closely linked to the nation's economic and political stability and progress, the international community must continue to provide its full support to the Afghan Government to deliver on its ambitious reform agenda, led by President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“The briefing of Special Representative Haysom once again underscored the fact that this conflict continues to exact a significant toll on the civilian population. The year 2015 was especially difficult, with anti-Government elements' brutal tactics and the use of indiscriminate violence pushing the number of civilian casualties to record-setting levels. Hundreds of thousands of able-bodied citizens have fled the troubled nation to seek asylum elsewhere. We encourage the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces to continue to develop its operational capacity and do its best to limit civilian casualties.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“I thank Special Representative of the Secretary-General Haysom for his update and his hard work over recent months. I also thank Ambassador Saikal for his comments this morning. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) remains a critical asset for the Security Council and the Afghan Government. We look forward to ensuring that its comprehensive range of support continues. Today I would like to briefly touch on three key areas, namely, the ongoing toll on the civilian population, actions that must be taken to ensure economic and political progress, and the importance of the Council's action to renew the mandate of UNAMA, which continues to play a critical role in guiding the Government through this difficult period.”
2016-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7645 (2016) · source
“Now, of course, that number of meetings does not equal the number of crises solved, or even averted. We know that. We wish more meetings would translate into more solutions to crises. But I think that these figures do nonetheless show that the Council is seeking to resolve the pressing crises that we face today in a more timely way, often trying in a more innovative manner to address these issues. I would like to thank the delegation of Uruguay for its leadership of the Council this month and to offer our support to the incoming presidency of Venezuela. I would like also to congratulate the Director of the Security Council Affairs Division, Movses Abelian, for his recently announced promotion and to thank him for his steady stewardship of the Council over the past five years.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“We had a positive moment just last Monday, when we adopted resolution 2261 (2016), on Colombia, the Security Council's response to the joint call made by the Government of Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia for United Nations engagement to help end the conflict. And, of course, we will need to stay focused on Yemen, South Sudan and many other locations. But looking at the working methods of the Council, we are in fact encouraged by one important aspect: flexibility. In addition to the meetings listed on the monthly programme of work, in 2015 the Council held 56 briefings under "Any other business", more than one a week and more than double the total in 2014. We also had 17 Arria Formula meetings, more than in 2013 in 2014 combined.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“We urge the Government of Burundi to conduct a serious dialogue with all stakeholders, including the armed opposition. In terms of next steps, we are closely following the African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit set to take place this weekend. We heard from the AU Peace and Security Council that it is determined to ensure that the force of 5,000 that it has already authorized is accepted in Burundi and then actually deployed. Action is needed. On North Korea, as we said in our press statement, the Council strongly condemned the nuclear tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 6 January, which is a clear threat to international peace and security. In that statement, we recalled the need to take further significant measures, and we now must impose real consequences. Our agenda is packed with many other priorities.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“With all the major indicators going in the wrong direction, we simply must find a more effective way to change the humanitarian situation on the ground. Especially in the face of this horrendous situation, it is all the more important that the peace process move forward, and we strongly support Special Envoy De Mistura in his continuing efforts to convene the parties in Geneva. On Burundi, after much negotiation and difficult planning, we managed to start the year with a trip, on which we found an extremely tense and dangerous situation. We heard from civil-society members who had witnessed murder and from women who spoke about sexual violence and rape. Local journalists pleaded for the freedom to report, and the United Nations briefed us on reports of mass graves and ethnic violence.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“While the Council repeatedly discussed the situation in Madaya over the past few weeks and raised the alarm about the need for more assistance, especially medical care, we still face obstruction by the regime and ruthlessness on the part of the forces on the ground, which prevent the people of Madaya from getting what they need. And as we know now, Madaya offers us only a glimpse of the terrible suffering that is taking place in communities across Syria. Earlier this week, during its briefing to the Council (see S/PV/7612), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that it had increased the number of besieged areas in Syria from 15 to 18, and the number of people in those besieged communities from 393,700 to 486,700. That is an increase of more than 90,000 people trapped without access to humanitarian assistance.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“On this last working day of the first month of the year, it is a good time to take stock and look ahead to the issues that we will need to focus on in February and beyond. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about three top priorities, Syria, Burundi and North Korea, and also to say a few words at the end about an aspect of our working methods. First, on Syria, the world has truly been shocked at the appalling conditions and starvation in Madaya - images of suffering with which we are now only too familiar.”
2016-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7616 (2016) · source
“It is critical that the Syrian regime and all parties allow immediate, unconditional and unfettered humanitarian assistance to reach all of those in need. All States Members of the United Nations must unite in pressuring the Syrian Government, or any actor over which it has leverage, to grant access to Madaya and to all communities across Syria.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“In that regard, we request that the United Nations immediately bring to the attention of the Council any obstacles to humanitarian access so that we may take action. The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) discussed the need to take steps to ensure expeditious humanitarian access throughout Syria, according to resolution 2165 (2014). And the ISSG called for United Nations pending requests for humanitarian deliveries to be granted. In resolution 2254 (2015), the Council called on ISSG States to use their influence immediately to those ends. As we have said before, the only way to stop the violence and end Syria's conflict is through advancing a negotiated political transition as outlined in resolution 2254 (2015). But while we work toward that goal, Syrians literally cannot wait - whether for food, medicine or clean water.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“In besieged areas, on average only 3 per cent received humanitarian assistance, as Assistant Secretary-General Kang just noted. We must stop acting as though such suffering is simply inevitable. In the past year, the Syrian regime did not even respond to more than half of requests from the United Nations to deliver assistance across conflict lines. According to the United Nations, if the regime approved such outstanding requests, 1.4 million people would receive assistance. As a United Nations partner, the United States intends to help in developing strategies to reverse the trends of the past year. The Syrian regime must minimize administrative procedures. We, as a Council, must effectively press the parties to implement the resolutions we have adopted.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“While we welcome the United Nations progress towards meeting the needs of those in Madaya, Fu'ah, and Kafraya, one-off deliveries are not a solution to the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the besiegement of communities. All communities should be guaranteed access to food, medicine and basic goods. That has to be our goal. And since we only saw access deteriorate and malnutrition and starvation increase in 2015, we all have to re-examine the strategies to do better. In the past year, we saw the number of Syrians who need humanitarian relief increase to 13.5 million, which is another 1.3 million in need. The number of Syrians receiving aid in hard-to-reach areas continues to dramatically decline, from 1.1 million in 2014 to 625,000 in 2015.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“As we all know, the hunger, suffering, and obstruction of humanitarian access should never have happened in the first place and it is by no means limited to Madaya. The Damascus suburbs towns of Mouadamiya and Daraya are also worth highlighting. since they also continue to be strangled by the Syrian regime. Madaya is just one of 12 areas in Syria besieged by the regime, while armed opposition groups have surrounded civilians in Fu'ah and Kafraya and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has surrounded Dayr al-Zawr. In addition to the 400,000 in those besieged areas, 4 million more Syrians are in hard-to-reach areas where it is increasingly difficult for the United Nations to send assistance. Denying humanitarian access to anyone, anywhere, must stop.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“The most dire cases - the 400 people the United Nations identified as near death due to starvation - must be treated or evacuated to a safe location immediately. The stories of horror coming out of Syria have become so chillingly commonplace. but they simply cannot make us numb: families trying to survive on what cannot even be called soup, just hot water and boiled spices, young babies unable to feed because their mothers suffer from such serious malnutrition and frail elders wasting away to nothingness. We cannot just become immune to the stories of their plight. We, as a Council, must demand rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the residents of Madaya and all civilians in Syria, not merely as a matter of implementing Security Council resolutions, but as a moral imperative.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Since the Syrian regime has cut off power and fuel for generators, the residents of this mountain town - where temperatures are now dropping often below freezing - must simply risk their lives to collect firewood to keep their children warm at night. That must change. We reiterate calls on the Syrian regime to allow immediate, regular, unconditional and unimpeded access. The United Nations formally made a request to the Syrian regime three days ago to bring in mobile medical units and medical teams to Madaya to conduct nutrition assessments and to treat the most critical cases. That request was just approved today, but the units and teams must arrive immediately, with no further delays. The exhausted medical personnel in Madaya urgently need this support to stabilize and treat those who are severely malnourished.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“When United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross workers arrived in Madaya on Monday, the grateful local distribution committee insisted on providing a meal, trying their best to offer hospitality, truly generous of spirit, yet all they had to offer was hot salted water with very few grains of floating rice. Madaya has had no bread for nearly five months, and what food is available is sold at exorbitant prices: 1 kilogram of sugar costs $150 and 1 kilogram of rice costs $200. Madaya has simply been cut off from the world. Civilians who have tried to escape or to find food have been killed or injured by anti-personnel mines and sniper fire by pro-regime forces.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“At least 32 people, including infants, have died from starvation in the past 30 days, according to the latest updates from humanitarian workers. The United Nations has reported that more than 400 people are near death due to starvation - those are just the cases that we know about, there could well be more. The only two doctors in the town - two doctors for all 40,000 people - have very limited ability to treat this sick and weakened community. Madaya's hospital has been destroyed, and the one remaining medical facility faces severe shortages of medicines, supplies and health personnel. The facility consists of one large room where, earlier this week, humanitarian workers saw 20 weakened people suffering from severe malnutrition, sleeping on the cold, hard floor without mattresses.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Rather, this is part of a deliberate and systematic siege-and-starve tactic employed by the regime against civilians across Syria - another barbaric act in a conflict full of such acts. The Council has adopted one resolution after another on humanitarian access. And yet, over the past year, we have only seen the suffering of Syrians deepen to outrageous levels. This cannot go on. We welcome the two United Nations shipments made to Madaya, Fu'ah and Kafraya this week. It is lifesaving assistance, but it is not nearly enough and it is coming far too late. Before Monday, the 40,000 people in Madaya trapped by the Syrian regime and its allies, including Hizbollah, had received almost no humanitarian aid since October. Therefore, although the shipments made this week are necessary, the need is much greater.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“I would like to thank Assistant Secretary-General Kang for the very sobering briefing. I would also like to thank my fellow Security Council members for organizing the meeting on short notice. At the outset, I want to commend the brave United Nations and humanitarian workers who are carrying out lifesaving work in Syria under the deeply challenging circumstances of a conflict zone. Their work is courageous and deeply valued. Millions depend on them. We have come to the Chamber today because the world has been profoundly shaken by the display of the sheer brutality of the Al-Assad regime in Syria. The reports of starvation coming out of Madaya have truly shocked our conscience and our sense of humanity. Most disturbing is the fact that this is not just a single instance of horror and cruelty.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject. The meeting rose at 7.10p.n1.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7589 (2015) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Iraq and Turkey to participate in this meeting. On behalf ofthe Council, I welcome His Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I Wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2015/963, which contains a letter dated 11 December 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. I now give the floor to Mr. Feltman.”
2015-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7589 (2015) · source
“Finally, we must urgently work together to support a political transition process in Syria, in accordance with the Geneva communique (S/2012/523, annex) and the statement of the International Syria Support Group, in order to reduce the operating space for those groups and establish a political process leading to credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, followed by a new constitution and elections. Our task is great, but we know what needs to be done. We draw our strength from the resiliency of the people affected by those tragedies. Their unity and resolve show why ISIL will fail in its goal of creating fear and polarizing communities. Through global solidarity and cooperation, ISIL and its ideology will be defeated.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“Multiple resolutions - including resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 2170 (2014), 2178 (2014) and 2199 (2015) - lay out specific obligations and actions that States must take to respond to those threats. In the Security Council, we look forward to continuing cooperation, including in the relevant sanctions committees and counter- terrorism entities, to enhance our will and capacities to implement those tools in order to counter ISIL and related groups. To vanquish those groups, we must also tackle the violent extremism that drives them. Their violent ideologies capture and motivate individuals worldwide, including those likely responsible for today's tragic hotel attack in Bamako. We therefore look forward to the Secretary-General's plan for preventing violent extremism.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“Militarily, the Coalition is working to deny ISIL safe havens and to disrupt its ability to project power and build partner capacity. It is also actively working to disrupt ISIL's financing and economic sustainment and the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to and from territories it has seized, as well as to counter its message ofhatred and violence. To stabilize areas liberated from ISIL's control, the Coalition further supports the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme and of the Iraqi Government. Today's resolution recalls the Security Council's well-established framework for responding to terrorist threats generally, and in particular to ISIL, the Al-Nusra Front and others associated with Al-Qaida.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“The Al-Assad regime in Syria has shown that it cannot and will not suppress that threat, even as it undertakes actions that benefit recruitment by extremists. In that regard, working with Iraq, the United States has been leading international efforts to provide assistance to combat the threat that ISIL poses to the security of that country's people and territory. In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and its recognition of the inherent right to individual and collective self-defence, we are taking necessary and proportionate military action to deny ISIL safe haven. The United States, along with 64 other nations and international organizations, has formed Global Coalition to Counter ISIL whose central aim is to degrade ISIL's capabilities and achieve its lasting defeat.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“We, the States Members of the United Nations, must therefore intensify and accelerate their efforts to degrade and defeat those groups once and for all. We need a truly global initiative to counter ISIL, prevent more attacks in our homelands and stabilize the Middle East. For that reason, we welcome and applaud resolution 2249 (2015) for its resolute call on States to take all necessary measures in compliance with international law to counter ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front. We must also choke off funding, arms, recruitment and other kinds of support to ISIL and the Al-Nusra Front. As the resolution recognizes, Iraq has made clear that it is facing a serious threat of continuing attacks from ISIL, in particular coming from safe havens in Syria.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“In recent weeks, barbaric terrorist attacks have startled the world's conscience. From Europe to Africa to the Middle East, innocent men and women have been slaughtered. Families have been destroyed in Beirut, concert-goers slain in Paris, air passengers bombed in the sky and tourists killed on the beach in Tunisia. The United States stands with the victims of terrorism of all faiths and nationalities. Yet, even as we mourn those lost in the recent attacks, we remember the wholesale violence that continues in Iraq and Syria, where men, women and children struggle every day to survive and to flee the bloodshed. Behind those outrages lies a violent ideology of hate. Groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al-Nusra Front know what they are doing. They perpetrate atrocities to advance a hateful world view.”
2015-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7565 (2015) · source
“As noted in Vienna this past weekend, the resolution of the refugee issue is also important to the final settlement of the Syrian conflict. Yet more needs to be done and soon. The United Nations Syria assistance humanitarian response plan remains only 45 per cent funded. We urge all countries to consider increasing their contributions as soon as possible and to begin considering significant contributions for the 2016 international humanitarian pledging conference, to be held in London in February. While we pursue a ceasefire and a political solution, we also need to continue to address the critical needs of Syrians on the ground, and we must do so immediately.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“According to the recently released United Nations humanitarian needs overview, those in need of urgent humanitarian assistance now total 13.5 million people - an increase of 1.2 million in just over 10 months. At least 8.7 million individuals are unable to fully meet their food needs at present. Meanwhile, 4.5 million people inside Syria continue to live in hard- to-reach areas, nearly half ofwhich are ISIL-controlled. The nearly 400,000 individuals in besieged areas continue to survive in even more dire circumstances. The United States is supporting the United Nations and non-governmental organizations in their efforts to prepare an active response for the upcoming winter season, including the distribution of seasonally appropriate relief supplies to more than 1 million people in Syria.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“Human rights violations are also widespread, as thoroughly documented by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, which briefed the Council just last week. As the Commission reported, many victims continue to be tortured. The Syrian Network for Human Rights recorded that 104 individuals had been tortured to death in October, including 99 who were tortured by the regime. ISIL continues to rampantly abuse the basic rights of Syrians. In Raqqah, ISIL arrested a married couple, for example, for teaching mixed groups of boys and girls. ISIL also continued to execute Syrians, whether for perceived spying or for their sexual orientation, and to kidnap, enslave and rape, including girls as young as nine years old. Of course, the overall situation in Syria remains deeply concerning.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“That is a vile crime against humankind that affects all walks of life in Syria - men, women, boys and girls - and it must end. As Ms. Zerrougui has reported, children are also suffering tremendously, as they are being forcibly recruited to be used in the conflict as child soldiers and, in some cases, as human shields by the Government, Government-affiliated and non-State armed groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in particular. The United States thanks the Special Representatives, Ms. Zerrougui and Ms. Bangura, for ensuring that the Council remains informed about the appalling acts taking place in Syria. We welcome future briefings that can lead the Council to make more informed decisions on Syria.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“In Aleppo, Idlib and Hama we have seen about 130,000 newly displaced Syrians in October alone. As the Secretary-General has said, attacks on health-care facilities, transports and medical personnel have a devastating multiplier effect, not only by killing civilians but also by degrading the capacity to provide the care that people so desperately need. Medical facilities and personnel continue to be attacked, as Under-Secretary-General O'Brien noted. Schools, too, continue to be attacked. More than 2 million children, one out of three, are not in school in Syria. That too has a devastating multiplier effect. If children cannot be protected and educated, Syria's future generations are at risk. As Ms. Bangura has reported, in Syria and elsewhere, rape and sexual violence continue to be used as an instrument of war.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“In recent weeks, air strikes, including some involving barrel bombs, intensified in the opposition-held eastern part of Ghouta, resulting in the destruction of medical centres, markets and other public locations. On 30 October, according to relief agencies, multiple air strikes on a public market in Douma killed at least 70 people and injured more than 500 others. Such brutal tactics must stop. We underscore how important it is that Saturday's Vienna statement recalled resolution 2139 (2014), which includes the demand that all parties cease any indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, and welcome the Vienna group's commitment to press the parties on the issue. In northern Syria, increased fighting, including Russian military operations, has also had a significant impact on the humanitarian situation.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“We are still shocked by the continuing use of barrel bombs and other destructive weapons in civilian areas, as well as by the attacks on schools, hospitals and medical personnel, arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual and gender-based violence, torture and disappearances. The Syrian Network for Human Rights recorded 1,771 deaths in Syria just in the month of October, including 1,284 individuals who died at the hands of Government forces, which are clearly still responsible for the overwhelming majority of deaths in Syria. Furthermore, despite its claim to the contrary, the regime's ghastly use of barrel bombs did not end last month. Syrian documentation groups recorded its use of 1,438 barrel bombs in October alone.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“As discussed in Vienna, in both the ministerial group and a working group, it is critical that all parties and the international community as a whole work diligently to ensure swift delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Syria, through unimpeded delivery approvals and improved access over borders and across conflict lines. As we look forward to the renewal of resolution 2191 (2014), especially, we must do all we can to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need in Syria. While there is renewed energy for achieving a political solution, the situation on the ground continues to be of significant concern. Civilians' tragic suffering from the persistent fighting and rabid violations of international law has continued unabated.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“The Group agreed to work to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, which would come into effect as soon as the representatives of the Syrian Government and the opposition have begun initial steps towards a transition based on the Geneva communique. A halt in the fighting is absolutely essential to our efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Syrians and to advance a political process to end the conflict. For our part, it will be critical for the Council to support that effort through a resolution on a United Nations- endorsed monitoring mission for such a ceasefire.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“As the Secretary-General and the representatives here today have said time and time again, the only solution there can be to the crisis in Syria, including the dire humanitarian situation, is a political one, through a Syrian-led political process based on the Geneva communique of 2012 (S/2012/522, annex). Just two days ago, we took a fundamentally important step towards that goal in Vienna. More than 20 stakeholders, including representatives of regional organizations and United Nations Special Envoy de Mistura, convened on Saturday, as members of the International Syria Support Group, to discuss how to bring an end to the Syrian conflict as quickly as possible.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General O'Brien and Special Representatives Bangura and Zerrougui for their deeply sobering briefings. Reflecting on their statements and on the Secretary-General's report on the humanitarian situation in Syria (S/2015/862), it is disturbing to hear yet again that the security situation has deteriorated and that humanitarian access to those most in need has not improved. Before addressing some ofthe issues raised today, I also want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the attacks in Paris on Friday and in Beirut on Thursday. We condemn such vile terrorist attacks in the strongest terms. We must do everything in our power to fight back against what can only be considered as an assault on our common humanity.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“The United States looks forward to continuing to work with the Council, the ICC, a new Government of national accord and others to end the violence, promote justice and build sustainable peace in Libya.”
2015-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7549 (2015) · source
“We also continue to stress, more generally, that national proceedings in Libya should be conducted in full compliance with Libya's international obligations. To achieve national reconciliation, it will be important to ensure the confidence of all Libyan citizens in their Government's commitment to due process and the rule of law, and that those responsible for serious crimes are held accountable. As Libya and the international community work towards a political agreement, we cannot forget that accountability for crimes in Libya will be key to achieving lasting peace and stability. I thank Prosecutor Bensouda and her Office, once again, for their work over the past six months and since 2011, when the Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC.”
2015-11-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7549 (2015) · source