YouSaid · the spoken record

Sommaruga

lines on the record: 27
first: 1999-02-12
most recent: 1999-02-12
sittings or episodes: 1
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

“At a time when we speak so much about globalization - of communications, of economy, what we desire, and what you have contributed to today is the globalization of responsibility.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“I believe that when we speak of humanitarian action we must always bear in mind its independence, impartiality and neutrality and not allow the term to be employed in reference to actions that do not have a humanitarian character. I would like to close by saying that we must never forget the provisions of common article 3 of the four Geneva Conventions, which I would like to consider a mini-convention in and of itself. This has to do with conflicts that are not of an international nature and is aimed at ensuring that not only States but also the other actors in non-international armed conflicts abide by basic humanitarian rules. You, Mr. President, and the members of the Security Council have demonstrated the political will to act. I believe that you have shown your sense of responsibility.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“This is the "ensure respect for" of common article 1. The person who is responsible for a transfer of arms must realize that he must ensure that humanitarian law is respected. The study to be published shortly on the consequences brought about by the availability of arms in conflicts, which was done by the International Committee of the Red Cross and which was mentioned by the Ambassador of France, will emphasize this point. I would also like to say that we ourselves need - and this is something that I believe is a responsibility of the Security Council - is to create a humanitarian environment that provides the humanitarian space needed by institutions to be able to assist all victims. 1 would also like to make an appeal that the term humanitarian not be misused.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“Article 89 of Protocol I to the Fourth Geneva Convention states that: "In situations of serious violations of the Conventions or of this Protocol, the High Contracting Parties undertake to act, jointly or individually, in co-operation with the United Nations and in conformity with the United Nations Charter." It is important for there to be no ambiguity on this subject. While I am here today as an independent agent, I am also here because I believe that there is a bond that allows us to say that we are not politicizing human rights. Action must be taken with regard to arms. We have spoken of embargoes. I believe that the movement to achieve better control of the transfer of light weapons - to which we have already referred - is also very important from the point of View of international human rights law.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“In examining the Geneva Conventions, we find provisions on the Protecting Power in humanitarian law. States seem to have forgotten that, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) constantly has to act as a substitute for the Protecting Power. But I believe that States should give some thought to this subject. Moreover, when we consider the threats that loom over peace and security, any decision on appropriate operations to ensure respect for international law must take into account a provision of humanitarian law that I would like very briefly to cite.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“Secondly, we must strive to gain universal adherence to humanitarian law, especially the conventions - there is one country today, for instance, that is involved in an international conflict but is not a party to the Geneva Conventions - their Additional Protocols and the Ottawa Convention, on which I had the pleasure of working with you, Mr. President. That Convention must achieve universality, as must the existing weapons protocols, such as that on blinding laser weapons. One element has not been mentioned: the application of individual criminal jurisdiction, as laid down in the Geneva Conventions, which has no territorial or national limitations for war criminals. A fact-finding commission, as provided for in Protocol 1, already exists. This commission must enjoy the broadest participation and this provision must be invoked.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“Not being a part of the United Nations system, and keen to maintain our mutual independence, I wish to respond with several points on the responsibility of States that also touch, I believe, on the responsibilities of the United Nations and the Council. These are points that have already been addressed to a certain extent, but I wish to emphasize them. They are points that might also be included in the Secretary-General's report. First, I believe I should stress that no effort must be spared to prevent human suffering. These efforts should include education on international humanitarian law and on human values throughout the population, especially among young people.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“First of all I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for having made possible this substantive, high-level meeting, which for me is an affirmation of Canada's leadership and of yours personally in humanitarian action. I would also like to express my appreciation to all members of the Council who have expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross, particularly to its personnel working in the field in sensitive situations everyday in order to protect and assist victims and to disseminate international humanitarian law. I wish also to tell my friends Ms. Bellamy and Mr. Otunnu how very much I appreciated their statements. I learned a great deal from what they said, and I look forward to learning more from them. The question that kept arising was that of what the Council can do.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“What suffering civilians are expecting from us all is that we provide incontrovertible proof that all our declarations on the importance of, and compliance with, existing law are being translated into fact. "Res non verba" must be our motto. Let us leave to our children and our children's children the prospect of life in a world where greater justice prevails.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“By speaking out, they should emphasize the fact that there are rules and that even wars have limits. I have no doubt that they will remind politicians and humanitarian players alike of their responsibilities. The twelfth of August of this year, which is the anniversary date, will be the ideal time to launch a call for humanitarian law to be strengthened. Though it may not be perfect, this law does exist and remains entirely valid. Finally, this autumn in Geneva, the 27th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will give the whole Red Cross movement and all the States party to the Geneva Conventions an opportunity to recommit themselves wholeheartedly to rules which are universally recognized.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“The ICRC has neither a mandate nor the resources to devote itself to this task, but it is doing its humble best to promote the elementary rules of international humanitarian law and their core underlying principles, which are ethical principles, among those who hold the key to the world's future: our children. The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Children and Armed Conflicts will certainly address this topic later on. I cannot close without recalling again that 1999 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the modern Geneva Conventions, now ratified by 188 States. To mark the occasion, the ICRC has opted for a project involving consultation among a large number of people caught up in conflicts.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“It is therefore very disturbing to note that there is an ever greater tendency to demonize the enemy. This is, I believe, dangerous and makes the work of humanitarian organizations even more hazardous and problematic. Once again, our activity must not be influenced by partisan interests; we must aim to serve only those people to whom we have an obligation, and those are the victims. There is a need to examine potential sources of conflict and take whatever measures are necessary before it is too late. I am convinced that conflicts can be prevented if full compliance with human rights instruments can be guaranteed.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“What is more, far too little political attention is being given to conflicts in certain parts of Africa and Asia. We must take care to avoid classifying victims as good or bad. We must constantly bear in mind one basic fact: irrespective of where a given conflict is taking place, there will always be human beings who are suffering and who require protection and assistance. The bottom line for any action by humanitarian organizations is that it must have received the consent of each and every party concerned. This is why the ICRC seeks to establish, maintain and consolidate close contacts with all belligerents, both Government forces and others. The purpose is to engage them in constructive dialogue as to their duty to respect the rights of protected persons.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“I am again in full agreement with the Secretary-General, who has said that sanctions are known on occasion to have tragic consequences for civilian populations. The ICRC therefore welcomes the fact that the Security Council has instructed the sanctions committees to examine the humanitarian impact of sanctions on the most vulnerable groups. The ICRC operational budget for the year 1999 is marginally lower than that for 1998. This decrease is no cause for celebration, since it does not indicate that the needs of populations in conflict zones have declined. On the contrary, it is caused by the fact that in a number of conflicts where our work and our principles are rejected out of hand, as is the case in Sierra Leone, the ICRC is finding it increasingly difficult to gain access to the victims whom it seeks to protect and assist.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“What is needed, then, is to remind all States and all parties to conflicts of their duty to protect civilians from the effects of war. And we must not overlook the major responsibility of the Security Council in this domain. If the principles of humanitarian action are to be fully respected, aid workers must have access to people affected by conflicts. Where these people are also suffering from economic sanctions imposed on their country, caution must be exercised. Nothing can justify punishing an entire population for its Government's misdeeds. It is not the ICRC's place to comment on the use of economic sanctions per se; however, it is duty-bound - a duty which it has frequently carried out - to request exemptions to sanctions so that needy populations can receive humanitarian assistance.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“I hope very much that this can be promulgated before the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Members will agree that this is just as much a legal as an ethical issue: legal because of the undertakings of the States parties to the Geneva Conventions; ethical because troops deployed by the United Nations are required to set an example by scrupulously complying with international law. In order to respect and ensure respect for the law, one must first understand it. Through its programme of dissemination to the armed forces, the ICRC has for many years been raising awareness among those who bear arms all over the world. It has been doing the same for civilian populations, with a particular emphasis on targeting young people.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“While it is addressed to the individual States parties to the Conventions, it also concerns, I believe, their collective action under the auspices of the Security Council. The early 1990s saw more and more instances of peacekeeping forces being deployed by the United Nations or regional organizations. Despite the many intrinsic advantages of such interventions, it is my view that they have sometimes led, as a political, military and humanitarian amalgam, to a certain amount of confusion. They have also demonstrated how crucial it is to make peacekeepers familiar with the relevant principles of human rights and international humanitarian law. A Secretary- General's bulletin on the observance of international humanitarian law by members of United Nations forces has been prepared by the Office of Legal Affairs jointly with the ICRC.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“(spoke in English) These rather pessimistic observations must not be a cause for gloom. On the contrary, they are a reminder that at least the ICRC, notwithstanding the difficulties, is able each day to offer protection and assistance to hundreds of thousands of people. They should also give us pause for thought on what can and must be done if the plight of civilians caught up in armed conflicts is to be alleviated. Allow me to look briefly at a few of these issues. The States parties to the Geneva Conventions undertake in common article I to respect the Conventions and to ensure their respect. This article is in every way the primary expression of the respect due to those who are not, or who are no longer, taking an active part in hostilities.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“These phenomena have also created new situations and raised some burning issues: What are the duties of economic groups that raise their own security forces to protect their interests? What political responsibilities do States have when such economic groups encroach on their areas of jurisdiction? There is no easy answer to these questions, but it must be recognized that the authority of the State and the notion of collective security, which is a cornerstone of the Charter of the United Nations, are dangerously weakened. In this connection, I welcome the fact that Secretary- General Kofi Annan, present today, has called on economic players not to remain indifferent to the problems caused by this new state of affairs, a call I myself have made on several occasions.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“It is indeed my wholehearted conviction that any humanitarian work is most effective when free of all political bias. The ICRC took this stance in Somalia. It is taking the same stance now in Afghanistan, where my organization, with the support of numerous national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, is the only international agency reaching out to all victims, in every part of the country, even those of the recent earthquake. This was also true in Sri Lanka and Congo-Brazzaville, to cite just a few other examples. Finally, it is also important to consider the phenomena of economic globalization and the privatization of tasks that were previously the responsibility of States.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“There is no question of our becoming resigned to such incidents, in which so many people engaged in humanitarian endeavour have been injured or even killed, because these incidents, too, are serious violations of international humanitarian law. I have said this many times before, and I wish to reiterate it here and now: such conduct is unacceptable. This point cannot be made often enough to all those concerned, just as they need to be reminded that the protective emblems of the Red Cross and Red Crescent must be respected at all costs. On 21 January, in this Council, the importance of basing humanitarian work on the principle of impartiality was rightly underlined. Humanitarian assistance cannot be used as an instrument for bringing political pressure to bear on any party to a conflict.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“When negotiations are getting nowhere it takes a lot to convert a ceasefire into lasting peace. The same tragic situation could easily be repeated tomorrow in other parts of the world. Furthermore, there are conflicts where humanitarian action has always been or has recently become impossible because Governments or other parties to the fighting see humanitarian action as interference in their internal affairs or as dictated by political concerns. Worse still, the presence of humanitarian organizations is sometimes refused so that there will be no witnesses to mass slaughter. In such cases, humanitarian workers are no longer seen as the bringers of help but rather as unwelcome observers. Sadly, the same workers are more and more frequently prevented from doing their job when they themselves come under serious assault.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“And then, as in the Caucasus, there are situations where neither war nor peace prevails and millions of people are unable to return to normal life. Driven from their homes, they have been waiting for years for a negotiated solution to put an end to their misery. The basic infrastructures required for daily living no longer exist. The land cannot be cultivated because it is mined or too close to the front lines. The political, economic and psychological consequences of these stalled conflicts must not be underestimated. They will ultimately lead to new cycles of Violence whose principal victims will once again be civilians. If there is no sustained effort to achieve peace, the slide back into war seems inevitable. We need only think of the recent return to hostilities in Angola or between Ethiopia and Eritrea.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“Genocide, "ethnic cleansing", attacks on humanitarian personnel and the repudiation of the principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality have become increasingly prevalent. At the same time, the politicization, "instrumentalization" and devaluation of humanitarian action are making it more difficult than ever for us to assist all victims. This insidious trend has been observable in the Great Lakes region, in West Africa, in the Balkans, in the Caucasus and in certain Asian countries. The full horror of the consequences is familiar to us all. The unimaginable pain borne by the populations in these areas can leave none of us indifferent. Not only that, it compels us to take action on their behalf.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“President - protection of civilians in armed conflicts - is at the heart of my organization's concerns. This year, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, it is more necessary and important than ever that we reflect on this theme. The ICRC is faced today with 20 open conflicts the world over, in many of which civilians are the first and principal target. Women, children, the elderly, the sick, refugees and internally displaced persons have been attacked in large numbers and methodically driven from their homes. They have suffered from conflicts in which every conceivable means, even the most reprehensible, has been and is still being used against them.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“As we seek to fulfil our respective goals, we must all renew our efforts to protect and assist all those who, in every part of the world, are not or are no longer participants in the conflicts that are devastating our planet yet who are the victims of these conflicts. Nonetheless, I feel obliged to echo certain concerns which were expressed here on 21 January. Does this interest in humanitarian affairs not mask a certain feeling of impotence at the magnitude of the task that confronts us? We all know that those organizations which are striving to deliver protection and assistance to victims of armed conflicts are unable to cope on their own with situations whose very size and extreme complexity are beyond them. The topic which I should like to address today, as you indicated, Mr.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source
“Mr. Sommaruga (International Committee of the Red Cross) (interpretation from French): I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to address you today. This is undoubtedly clear evidence of the complementarity that exists between the Security Council's political action and the humanitarian, independent, impartial and neutral work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). I am delighted to be able to say this, just as I am delighted at the convergence of views expressed at the Council's meeting on 21 January, when the Council heard the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello. We should be encouraged by the reaffirmation that political and humanitarian action need to follow clearly distinct paths.”
1999-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3977 (1999) · source