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 some cases, the authors cherry-picked from existing instruments and developed those new so-called standards in an arbitrary and opaque manner, without referring to existing best practices. Promoting the ISACS guidelines has resulted in some unusual situations. In Somalia, we understand that a United Nations representative advised local officials not to use regional marking standards developed by States parties to the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa. Although those standards met the requirements of countries in the region, the United Nations said that they were not "ISACS compliant". Given the diversity of views, we hope that future reports will more aptly characterize ISACS as voluntary guidelines and not as practical standards.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8140 (2017) · source
“We can learn from those experiences and, as appropriate, mandate United Nations missions to build capacity on stockpile security and small arms management. Unfortunately, we have some concerns about the Secretary-General's report. When discussing issues related to domestic misuse of small arms in non-conflict settings, the report goes beyond its remit. Additionally, we are disappointed by the Secretary-General's continued advocacy for the use of the International Small Arms Controls Standards (ISACS). Despite the name, those guidelines are generally not standards. Unlike the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines, which were drafted by Government experts, ISACS were created by a small group of self-selected experts.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8140 (2017) · source
“Rather than trying to identify every perceived gap in the international normative framework, we just need more countries to implement those basic commitments that we adopted back in 2001. Progress will be incremental; many countries are only now taking first steps, such as implementing arms tracing. The Secretary-General's report gives some cause for optimism. As noted in the report, the Security Council has adjusted the mandates of United Nations missions to tackle the problem of small arms. Cote d'Ivoire, for example, is a success story in which the Government, with United Nations support, is better securing its stockpiles and has successfully traced a weapon recovered from an illicit trafficker.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8140 (2017) · source
“Indeed, we continue to be a leading donor in this field, including through our conventional weapons destruction programme, which has provided over $2.9 billion in assistance to more than 100 countries since 1993. Yet the international community as a whole continues to struggle with challenges in implementing existing commitments on small arms, and we see the consequences on a range of issues before the Security Council. More needs to be done, whether it be on tackling arms smuggling in Central Africa or on small arms falling into the hands of terrorists and criminal groups. It is tempting to hold more meetings to negotiate more international commitments, but that approach misunderstands the problem.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8140 (2017) · source
“I thank the High Representative for her briefing on the report of the Secretary-General on small arms and light weapons (S/2017/1025). Sixteen years ago, the General Assembly adopted by consensus the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. In that landmark achievement of the international community, we committed to concrete actions to reduce illicit trafficking in small arms. The United States remains fully committed to implementing the Programme of Action, as well as the 2005 International Tracing Instrument. We have worked, and will continue to work, side by side with other countries and international and regional organizations to combat the illicit small arms trade.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8140 (2017) · source
“Finally, I would be remiss if I did not reiterate the United States position with respect to recent developments related to the situation in Afghanistan, which is different from this situation in a number of respects. As we said in the Council in November and as we reiterated at the Assembly of States Parties meeting last week, we continue to have serious concerns about and a long-standing principled objection to any International Criminal Court investigation or other activity concerning United States personnel.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“Other leaders who have targeted their own citizens, including the former President of Cote d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo, the former Liberian President Charles Taylor and the former Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, have been called to answer for their alleged crimes. We will continue to use the tools at our disposal to press the Sudan to improve its human rights practices and to promote justice for the people of Darfur. A Sudan that adheres to the rule of law, respects human rights and breaks the cycle of impunity is one that will enjoy sustainable peace and prosperity. We look forward to the day when the Sudan is a valuable contributor to regional security and stability.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“We have pointed out for many years that it is unacceptable that the suspects in the Darfur situation remain at large and have not been brought to justice. In particular, we have expressed disappointment that Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir continues to travel to countries around the world. Receiving President Al-Bashir on those visits has served only to burnish his image, diminish the seriousness of the charges against him and dismiss the tremendous suffering of the victims. We must stand with the victims, no matter how powerful those who inflict abuses on them may be.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“We call on the Sudanese Government to allow the United Nations, humanitarian organizations and the media to access the area where the clashes took place so that they can investigate the reports and assist those in need. We also call on the Government to investigate promptly and credibly any allegations against Hilal, in accordance with the Sudan's human rights commitments and obligations, and to hold Hilal to account if he is found to have committed atrocities. We note that the International Criminal Court has investigated allegations of atrocities committed by all sides, and has charged Sudanese Government officials, militia leaders and certain armed-opposition members with crimes, including genocide; crimes against humanity, including torture, murder and rape; and war crimes, including pillaging and deliberate attacks on peacekeepers.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“Those responsible for human rights violations and abuses and attacks on civilians should be held accountable, including security forces using excessive force against civilians, such as in Kalma camp in September, and the members of armed militias who perpetrate atrocities against civilians in Darfur. In November, we noted the Sudanese Government's arrest of the former Janjaweed commander Musa Hilal, who is subject to United Nations sanctions for his commission of atrocities in Darfur following clashes between Sudanese security forces and armed militias loyal to Hilal. We are concerned about the reports of civilian fatalities, including the killing of women and children, occurring during those clashes.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“We note that in 2017 the Government of the Sudan has refrained from military offensives, halted aerial bombardments in Darfur and taken meaningful steps to expand humanitarian access. With the exception of one party, the armed opposition in Darfur also reciprocated by announcing its own unilateral cessation of hostilities. However, much more progress is needed. While Darfur has not experienced the same levels of violence in 2017 as in years past, lasting peace remains elusive. The human rights situation continues to be volatile. Humanitarian needs remain high and accountability non-existent.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“More than 12 years ago, alarmed by the atrocities taking place in Darfur, the Council referred the situation to the International Criminal Court in order to bring to justice those responsible for such atrocities and to end the climate of impunity in the Sudan. The United States has continued its efforts to help to end the conflict and improve conditions for the people of Darfur. That focus on the safety and the security of Darfuri citizens was a key component of the five-track engagement plan, the framework launched in June 2016 whereby the United Stated Government offered to revoke certain economic sanctions on the Sudan if the Sudan made progress in a number of areas. We asked the Sudan to maintain a cessation of hostilities in areas of internal conflict such as Darfur, and to improve humanitarian access.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“I would like to thank Prosecutor Bensouda for her briefing. We agree with her that the victims in Darfur need justice. Since the beginning of the conflict in Darfur more than 300,000 people have been killed and 4.7 million others affected, including more than 2 million who have been and remain internally displaced. In the past, both Sudanese Government forces and their allied militias have engaged in the widespread and systematic killing, raping and torturing of civilians. Perpetrators have burned villages and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching populations in desperate need. Some rebel groups have conducted similar brutal attacks.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8132 (2017) · source
“We call on those Governments to credibly investigate and prosecute those cases as appropriate, while cooperating with one another and the Residual Mechanism to that end. The United States will continue its support, and congratulates the forward-looking efforts of the Residual Mechanism to play a role in those processes, including through capacity-building support. As the ICTY has shown, when we work together, we can achieve a measure of justice and accountability for the world's most horrific atrocities.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“Although the ICTY may be closing its doors, it leaves behind a legacy of justice, a robust body of international case law and hope among victims of atrocities that perpetrators - even the most senior military and political leaders of a country - can be held accountable. It also established a truthful historical record that can both assist with regional reconciliation efforts and ensure that crimes cannot be legitimately denied. The same can be said of the Rwanda Tribunal. The pursuit of justice for conflict-related atrocities is not over. In the Balkans, there are hundreds of cases currently in the hands of national authorities in the region. In Rwanda and surrounding countries, fugitives remain at large.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“They have escaped justice for too long. With a refocused tracking unit and the renewed cooperation of the international community and law enforcement agencies, their arrest is possible. The Residual Mechanism's efforts to increase public access to judicial records and translate international criminal trial judgments of the ICTR into Kinyarwanda, as well as the responsiveness of the Prosecutor to request assistance from national judicial authorities, are important initiatives that will ensure that the ICTR has an enduring and broad impact. Similarly, training for domestic prosecutors from East Africa conducted by the Prosecutor will contribute to building the capacity of national jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“We are encouraged by the priorities identified by the President and the Prosecutor, and applaud the progress made in restructuring and refocusing the fugitives and investigations unit so as to apprehend the eight remaining fugitives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The United States is firmly committed to the continuing efforts to locate and arrest the eight remaining ICTR fugitives. Three of the fugitives will be tried by the Residual Mechanism, and five other will be transferred to Rwanda. We continue to offer a reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest or transfer of those eight men, and stand ready to engage with the new task forces. We likewise call on all States and relevant law enforcement agencies in Europe and Africa to cooperate with efforts to apprehend those fugitives.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“We call on the Government of Serbia to cooperate with the Residual Mechanism, execute the relevant arrest warrants and underscore the Government's obligation to do so. The United States commends the Residual Mechanism for its progress during the reporting period. We appreciate the continued focus on the expeditious completion of trials and appeals. We also note with satisfaction that, following the issuance of three audit reports during the reporting period, the Residual Mechanism has either implemented or is in the process of implementing all recommendations.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“The United States has been a steadfast supporter of the ICTY, and we encourage all States to respect its rulings. Countries cannot pick and choose on matters of justice. Our commitment to supporting justice and reconciliation in the Balkans continues as the Tribunal's remaining functions shift to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. The primary focus of attention now moves to national jurisdictions, and we call on all countries in the region to reinvigorate cooperation to resolve remaining cases. However, concerning the specific issue of the two surviving individuals charged with contempt of court in relation to witness intimidation in the case of Prosecutor v. Vojislav Seselj, the United States applauds the order of President Agius, transferring that case to the Residual Mechanism.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“We applaud the ICTY's record, which includes indicting 161 individuals and holding accountable senior political and military leaders for their roles in crimes committed during the war in the Balkans. We especially highlight the recent verdict in the case of Prosecutor v. Ratko Mladic' as an important step towards holding accountable those individuals responsible for the tremendous suffering of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among other crimes, Mladie was found guilty of genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, crimes against humanity and persecution across the country, terrorizing the population of Sarajevo, and taking United Nations peacekeepers hostage. We hope that that decision can provide some sense ofjustice and closure to Victims and their families.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“In addition, we express our special gratitude and respect for the many victims who participated in proceedings and kept faith in the international community's commitment to justice. The ICTY was the first international tribunal since those established in Nuremberg and Tokyo to investigate and prosecute allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. As the vanguard of modern international justice, it established key precedents in international criminal law, thereby setting the stage for and guiding the work of subsequent tribunals established to investigate and prosecute atrocities in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and elsewhere. Through its work, the ICTY has created a legacy of the greatest importance. It has established a factual and depoliticized record of the crimes committed during the war.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“Today is an especially momentous occasion as we reflect upon the most recent report (see S/2017/662) and, more importantly, the closing of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at the end of the month. The United States thanks Judge Meron, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals; President Judge Agius, President of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; Mr. Brammertz, Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals; and indeed all those who have served at the ICTY, or supported it through their work in Government, non-governmental organizations or United Nations institutions over the past 23 years.”
2017-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8120 (2017) · source
“We remain fully committed to those efforts, and we look forward to coordinating with the United Nations and Member States and with the United Nations and international entities, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL and 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 over the coming year on the full implementation of resolution 2347 (2017).”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“With that funding, ASOR monitors cultural heritage sites in those areas using satellite imagery, human intelligence and public information in order to document evidence of destruction and looting by ISIS and other actors. United States funding has also enabled the Smithsonian Institution to train Iraqi cultural heritage professionals so that they can be prepared to implement needed interventions when the security situation allows.”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“The cultural antiquities task force established by the United States Department of State focuses on the recovery and repatriation of looted cultural objects and supports law enforcement agencies in such efforts. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation maintains an national stolen art file - a computerized database of stolen art and cultural property - and makes its information available to law enforcement agencies around the world. For several years, the United States Government has provided funding to the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) to continue its important work in Syria and northern Iraq. This year we have expanded ASOR's work to also include Libya.”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“The United States continues robust implementation of its own domestic tools for putting an end to the destruction of cultural heritage and trafficking of cultural property. The emergency import restrictions on Syrian and certain Iraqi cultural property remain in place, and serve as a strong disincentive to would-be traffickers. The United States has also negotiated bilateral agreements with 16 countries to block the illegal importation of archaeological and ethnological material into the United States. We urge States parties to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property whose heritage is in jeopardy to request the same type of protection.”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“Even after liberation from ISIS, cultural heritage and antiquities remain under threat, as fleeing members of ISIS will likely seek to sell artefacts that could continue to provide a substantial revenue stream. The ability to sell looted goods over the Internet has turned a once cost-prohibitive market into one accessible by anyone with a cell phone or Internet connection. The United States has been unwavering in its commitment to protecting and preserving cultural heritage. Our policy is clear: the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage and the trafficking of cultural property are unacceptable. We join the United Nations and Council members in affirming that countries have a responsibility to preserve and protect heritage of universal importance and prevent its exploitation for terrorist purposes, including illicit financial gain.”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“I thank the invitees for their briefings, and also I also thank Italy for having organized this meeting. Earlier this year, Iraqi soldiers discovered tunnels dug below the remains of the tomb and osque of Jonah in Mosul, which showed that militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) were excavating into an ancient Assyrian palace that is at the same site. That excavation took place, of course, after ISIS had already destroyed the historic tomb and mosque above, in 2014. What was the likely target of ISIS? Valuable antiquities to loot and then traffic in global markets. I share this story to illustrate that nefarious activity has become, in effect, part of the business plan of ISIS.”
2017-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8119 (2017) · source
“We are therefore talking about hundreds of thousands of Syrians who will not get sick this month because of the Council's cross-border-assistance mandate. Nor can we forget that this assistance is also closely monitored. The United Nations Monitoring Mechanism for the Syrian Arab Republic looked at 420 trucks used in 20 shipments in October. For each truck, the Monitoring Mechanism confirmed that every delivery was humanitarian and notified the Syrian authorities about what was in it and where it went. Despite our divisions on Syria, the Council's rare moment of unity on cross-border assistance has had a vital impact. We managed to set politics aside and come together to establish this mandate and then renew it for each of the past two years. We must once again stand with the Syrian people and renew that authorization.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The consequences of this mandate are enormous. It is no exaggeration to say that renewing it is a life-and-death question. Since 2014, the United Nations has conducted more than 663 cross-border convoys, with 16,844 trucks containing aid passing through border crossings approved by the Security Council. On average, that assistance reaches more than 1 million Syrians every month. Again, 1 million people get aid as the result of a mandate from the Security Council. We can only imagine the number of lives saved by this one resolution. To give just one example, in October the World Heath Organization sent supplies for nine health-care facilities and 80,567 people in two cross-border deliveries. More than 546,600 Syrians benefited from access to clean water through cross-border shipments in October as well.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“One thing is clear: those countries with influence over the Al-Assad regime must use their influence. That is especially true of Russia, which is both a permanent member of the Security Council and a nation that has stated its commitment to a Syrian political process. We must all demand that every besieged area and all civilians in need receive assistance. We must all demand that Al-Assad and the militias allied to the regime stop plundering aid provided by the United Nations. That is a simple message, but one that the Al-Assad regime has almost never accepted in the history of this conflict. As members of the Security Council, we have another extremely important responsibility coming up. In December, the Council must renew the authorization for cross-border deliveries of aid into Syria, originally granted in resolution 2165 (2014).”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The regime and its thugs grab surgical gloves, ultrasound equipment, ventilators and, as we have all heard, even formula for infants, from United Nations trucks before they reach the Syrians in need. Some members of the Council urge us to put more faith in the Al-Assad regime. They ask us to trust that the regime will allow for aid deliveries. They act like the regime makes decisions in the best interests of the Syrian people. But why would we ever expect a regime that literally steals medicine from the sick to do the right thing? Why would we ever expect a regime that has spent years starving Syria into submission to do the right thing? Why would we ever expect a regime that has gassed its own people, fire-bombed its cities and turned its schools and hospitals into rubble to do the right thing for its people?”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“They will spend another month collecting whatever scraps of food they can find or, when that fails, chewing on things like grass or damp newspapers. Moreover, the 2.5 million civilians living in hard-to-reach areas are also suffering profoundly and struggling to survive. In October, thanks to the Al-Assad regime's strategy of denying aid to its political opponents, the United Nations could deliver humanitarian assistance to only about 6 per cent of its population. But the cruelty does not end there. The Al-Assad regime and its allies, like Hizbullah, steal pieces of assistance out of United Nations convoys all the time. They have taken out more than 630,000 medical items from United Nations trucks since the beginning of 2017.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“It is no coincidence that those air strikes were carried out by the Al-Assad regime with the support of the Russian Government. The Syrian regime is pummelling a population of starving, desperate people who have been cut off from food and medicine for months. It is the latest version of the Al-Assad regime's despicable starve-and-surrender strategy. The objective is not peace, but domination. The regime does not even try to hide its strategy. This month the Al-Assad regime allowed the United Nations to make only one shipment of aid to a besieged area. That one delivery helped 21,500 persons, but the 398,000 other Syrians living in eastern Ghouta and nine other besieged areas got nothing. They received no food, no medicine, no vaccines.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The mother said that all she could do was give her four children damp pieces of newspaper to chew on so they would stop screaming. That is all she had left - damp pieces of newspaper to feed her children. To my colleagues around this table, therefore, I say: tomorrow morning, when we pick up a newspaper, we need to think about what this mother is going through and realize that that is just one family. That is just one family out of the nearly 400,000 people living under siege in a region just a short drive away from Damascus. One can say that it is ironic that eastern Ghouta is a so-called de-escalation area, but it is no coincidence that in the past week dozens of civilians have died from relentless air strikes and shelling there.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General Lowcock for his briefing. Under-Secretary-General Lowcock warned us today about dire conditions in the besieged community of eastern Ghouta. He warned us about children on their deathbeds due to severe, acute malnutrition and about hundreds of sick people who desperately need to be evacuated for life-saving treatment. In fact, he has been giving us those warnings for months. One Syrian mother in eastern Ghouta is running out of options. That mother reportedly came into a clinic recently. She was crying as she brought in her four malnourished children to be treated. But what this mother told the clinic's doctor was shocking to hear, even for a doctor working in the midst of one ofthe worlds' worst war zones.”
2017-11-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8117 (2017) · source
“The Security Council's Counter- Terrorism Committee and the various sanctions committees established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) must also contribute. Those entities will need to harmonize efforts, with each focusing on its comparative advantages. If there is one thing that we should all take away from this meeting, it is the need to do more than simply remain vigilant against an ever-adaptive ISIL and an Al-Qaida on the rebound. We must also take the necessary steps to update our toolkit so as to be able to confront an increasingly decentralized enemy. We look forward to working with Security Council members on an upcoming resolution to adapt to new challenges.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“That will also require the involvement of civil society, including faith leaders and youth - a true whole-of-society approach. We should not rely too heavily on fighting terrorism through security measures alone. History shows that the false narratives and justifications of terrorism can live on no matter how many terrorists we put in jail or kill on the battlefield. That is why we also need to commit ourselves to the prevention of terrorism. Thirdly and finally, we need the United Nations to be more coordinated in its efforts to address the foreign terrorist fighter threat. Various bodies of the United Nations have vital roles to play. We look to the Office of Counter-Terrorism to support capacity-building, and we look to the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate to monitor gaps in the implementation of Security Council resolutions.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“Since the adoption of resolution 2178 (2014), we have applauded countries' efforts to implement legislation that allows authorities to prosecute various acts committed by foreign terrorist fighters. However, because of the way some laws are written and because it is hard to collect evidence in a conflict zone, it can sometimes be difficult to obtain convictions. We must do a better job of bringing those fighters to justice, including by sharing, whenever possible, the evidence needed to do so. However, we cannot ignore that the family members of foreign terrorist fighters are also returning home, some of whom have committed crimes and others who have themselves been victims of ISIL. The Security Council should therefore recognize the need to approach their prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration in a tailored and nuanced way.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“First, we need to continue to improve border and aviation security. To do so, we must do more to create and implement standards aimed at developing and sharing biographic data and biometric data, advanced passenger information and passenger name records, which are three essential tools needed to detect foreign terrorist fighter travel. It is essential that all countries collect and use passenger name record data to spot potential terrorists crossing their borders. The Security Council should recognize passenger name records as a foundation of our efforts to secure our borders and aviation. Secondly, we need to strengthen efforts to address and improve the prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“We should not fool ourselves into thinking that as we defeat ISIL on the battlefield, the terrorist ideology and narratives that underpin the group will just fade away. That is why the Council and the international community must address the evolving challenge now. We must shatter the ISIL narrative of invincibility. We must help demonstrate to the world, especially to individuals who are vulnerable to radicalization, violence and terrorism, that there is more to live for than supporting ISIL. The United States therefore proposes that the Council adopt a new resolution to confront that evolving threat. We must now grapple with an increasingly decentralized ISIL threat, with new flows of fighters and their accompanying families. We propose that the Council's action stress three priorities.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“Yet three years later, despite progress against ISIL, the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters persists and has evolved to now include the need to address the challenge of returning foreign terrorist fighters. As the territory of ISIL shrinks, some of its supporters are on the move, with some returning home and others going to other countries. We will see more and more battle-hardened terrorists travelling around the world to carry out deadly attacks in the name ofISIL. Additionally, ISIL has even called on its supporters, who may have never been to the conflict zone, to launch attacks wherever they are present. One such supporter carried out an attack in New York City just last month.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“That resolution obligates countries to take concrete and tangible steps to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to conflict zones. It has also spurred new efforts to address the underlying factors that are conducive for the rise of terrorism and violent extremism and allow them to take root in our societies in the first place. Regrettably, many Member States have yet to fully implement resolution 2178 (2014), including adopting the necessary domestic laws to provide the ability to criminalize the travel, financing and recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters. That gap leaves us all vulnerable, and we must therefore recommit ourselves to the full and complete implementation of that critical resolution.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“Meeting at the Heads of State level, the Council adopted resolution 2178 (2014) to establish a new legal and policy framework to counter the threat posed by those fighters. Since then, international partners and the coalition to defeat ISIL have made extraordinary progress in rolling back the gains made by ISIL, which has now lost approximately 95 per cent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. Raqqa, the self- proclaimed capital of ISIL, has fallen to coalition forces. Men, women and children who have suffered for years under the brutality of ISIL have been liberated. As part of the campaign, resolution 2178 (2014) has facilitated unprecedented international cooperation aimed at identifying, stopping and prosecuting foreign terrorist fighters.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Voronkov, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Coninsx, and the Chair of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, Ambassador Umarov, for their briefings today on foreign terrorist fighters. We have come a long way since 2014 when foreign fighters were traveling en masse to join Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). At that time, ISIL was spreading like a pandemic across the region. That fall, the Council took urgent action to stem the flow of those fighters.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8116 (2017) · source
“The United States reiterates its commitment today to ending all forms of slavery, cracking down on the perpetrators and promoting stability in Libya. It is vital that we work together to achieve those goals. We must rally support to end impunity for those abuses and ensure human rights for all in Libya.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8114 (2017) · source
“The only viable way to achieve that goal is for all of us to lend our full support to the political process organized by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ghassan Salame' on the basis of the Libyan Political Agreement, which remains the only valid framework throughout the transitional period. We must all use our influence to make sure that all actors in Libya engage with the United Nations in good faith and stress that political dialogue is the only way forward. Any attempt to assert false deadlines, cut short the United Nations-facilitated political process or impose a military solution will only further destabilize Libya, which would only help the smugglers responsible for abusing migrants and refugees.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8114 (2017) · source
“Their presence contributes to Libya's instability, as well as to security challenges that affect the entire Mediterranean and the Sahel. Instability breeds criminal behaviour and human rights abuses, which in turn lead to further instability and additional abuses, and the cycle continues. We should continue looking for any opportunity to disrupt criminal networks in Libya using the tools of the Security Council, including our Libya sanctions regime. However, while we face an immediate imperative to disrupt and dismantle smuggling networks, the members of the Council must also recommit to supporting the United Nations efforts to advance a more stable, unified and secure Libya.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8114 (2017) · source
“We urge the European Union and all Member States to ensure that there is consistent vetting of Libyan partners and an international presence at disembarkation points and in detention facilities, as well as a process to guarantee access to protection. Of course, the only long-term solution to the challenge of migration through Libya is to stabilize Libya. The smugglers responsible for abusing migrants and refugees are part of sophisticated transnational criminal networks that thrive in ungoverned or unstable spaces. Those migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks also smuggle arms, narcotics and illicit fuel across borders. Their earnings support terrorist organizations, like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Al-Qaida affiliates.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8114 (2017) · source
“Under those circumstances, the United States welcomes international efforts to provide assistance and protection to displaced people and migrants in Libya, including the efforts of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and IOM. that we just heard about. The international community must support greater documentation of abuses in Libya, as well as programmes to ensure the humane treatment of migrants and refugees. Since 2011, the United States has contributed generously to the regional humanitarian assistance programmes of UNHCR, IOM. and other partners and has provided more than $150 million specifically to help refugees and vulnerable migrants in Libya, as well as those displaced internally by violence. Upholding international protection obligations is vital.”
2017-11-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8114 (2017) · source