YouSaid · the spoken record

Spatafora

lines on the record: 452
first: 2003-07-03
most recent: 2008-07-30
sittings or episodes: 70
sources: un-security-council

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“And finally, we must envisage, with the help of the Peacebuilding Support Office, a strategy for reaching out to the donor community and marshalling the resources necessary to implement peacebuilding strategies without duplication. Given the drastic need for resources, it is all the more important to use them better and to try to achieve predictable financing for medium-term and long-term interventions. I would also add that I believe that the problem is not the financial resources. When there are ideas and projects - valid projects - the money will come. Let us not focus on marshalling resources - money, money, money. Money will come. The point is elsewhere; the critical point is to plan what we want to do. When we have the projects, the money will come.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“Thirdly, we must affirm the strategic role of the Peacebuilding Commission by developing and implementing the integrated peacebuilding strategies, to which all the stakeholders, starting with the United Nations system, should refer, and by designing a credible mechanism to monitor the stabilization process. Fourthly, we should enlarge the agenda not only by gradually increasing the number of countries but also by increasing the number of thematic debates that might support action on the ground. Fifthly, we should organize more active participation of the Peacebuilding Commission on the ground by building a more intense relationship with the United Nations country offices, the Resident Coordinators and others. Sixthly, we must enhance the active involvement of regional and subregional organizations. That is an essential point.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“First, we must enhance dialogue and focus coordination among all the stakeholders, building on projects already implemented or approved with full respect for national ownership of the process. Here, I also wish to stress, as has recently been said in connection with Afghanistan, that in talking about coordination, the point is that people must be ready to be coordinated. That is also an issue that may cause problems once we are on the ground. Secondly, we have to involve the international financial institutions at all levels - on the ground, at headquarters and on the executive boards. This has already been said, but we must have more involvement than we have had until now.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“Instead, we should already have done our homework in parallel with the peacekeeping aspect. That is why I am speaking of a sort of relay race. At a certain moment, the previous runner - peacekeeping - passes the baton to the next one, who continues the race but who is already prepared rather than starting from scratch. The Peacebuilding Commission will be judged by concrete results on the ground. Allow me then to make some concrete suggestions for the new Chairman, Ambassador Takasu. He has already covered these areas, in part, in his briefing, so in fact I am only emphasizing what he said earlier. Italy reiterates here its strong appreciation for the work he has already done and again assures him of its strongest support.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“From such a perspective, it should work together better and more effectively with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Political Affairs, the Peacebuilding Support Office and the whole United Nations system to be ready - at the appropriate time and upon request - to address critical situations. That would be a marked improvement over the current procedure of simply waiting until a situation is placed on the table of the Peacebuilding Commission, consequently placing it at the starting point of a process, with the result of losing time and, thus, effectiveness and efficiency. The point is that, when the Peacebuilding Commission has a country situation on its table and begins working on it, that should not be the starting point of a process.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“The Peacebuilding Commission should therefore take on a more proactive role, on a wider radar screen, so to speak, in order to better assure the continuity of what the international community is doing and intends to do to stabilize a country. In line with such an approach and in order to fully comply with its role as an advisory body of the Council, as envisaged by resolution 1645 (2005), the Peacebuilding Commission might become a sort of permanent observatory of potential new countries that are on their way to exiting the immediate conflict phase.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“If the Peacebuilding Commission wishes to live up to the ambitions that I mentioned before, it must now articulate a richer and more varied agenda, enlarging its vision of the peace process and its range of action. First of all, we should start looking at peace processes as a whole. When considering the establishment of a new peacekeeping mission, the Security Council could, as appropriate, take advantage of the advice of the Peacebuilding Commission so that an effective peacebuilding strategy could be envisaged at the earliest possible stage. The entire process centred on the Peacebuilding Commission should be conceived as a relay race, if I may put it that way, involving all the stakeholders. If we do not think in terms of integrated planning processes, we risk failure, wasted effort and a return to conflict.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“That is why we favour the participation of the European Union, alongside the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The same holds true for the involvement of civil society, once the guidelines have been adopted for its participation in the work of the Peacebuilding Commission. Now it is crucial to develop an active policy that gears those relationships towards concrete results. As noted by previous speakers, significant achievements have undoubtedly been made thus far. But one year on, we have to move forward and address new challenges in a creative and flexible way that will help to develop policies that fit diverse situations.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“And I wonder how we think, for example, that we can encourage the European Union and its 27 member countries to go on being the main donors and to be in the vanguard in implementation and in supporting the Peacebuilding Commission if we do not hear the voice of the European Union around this table. Now we have to develop a reliable mechanism for monitoring and tracking mutual commitments and trends in the peacebuilding process, without increasing the burden on national Governments. It is of great importance for the effective coordination and strategic advice we all expect from the Peacebuilding Commission that all relevant actors be included in the country-specific configurations.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“Let me also express my strong disappointment at not being able to listen to the voice of the European Union - that is to say, the voice of the most important donor to the United Nations in this field - and to not to be able to listen to the voice of Jamaica as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) coordinator, because NAM. has a very special take and specific interest on the issue we are discussing today. And, if I am not wrong, all of us around this table are here on behalf of the membership, and being here on behalf of the membership, we have to listen to the membership.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“Thanks to Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins' leadership and patience - a lot of patience - we succeeded. On that basis - and, I wish to emphasize, thanks to the commitment of the Coordinators of the country- specific configurations, the Permanent Representatives of the Netherlands and of Norway - the Commission has adopted a Strategic Framework for Burundi and is currently working on a strategy for Sierra Leone, actively involving all the stakeholders through the United Nations Office on the ground and the Peacebuilding Support Office. I also join others in expressing strong appreciation for the work of Ambassador Gallardo Hernandez as Vice-Chair of the Commission and as Chair of the Working Group on Lessons Learned. Here, I express my disappointment that we are not able to listen to her today on the issue of lessons learned.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“We must have an ambitious agenda so as to live up to the expectations that were the expectations of our leaders in 2005. It would be very sad, to say the least, if we settled for less. At the outset, I also wish to commend the former Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, the Permanent Representative of Angola, for his outstanding efforts in laying the foundation for the Commission's work. The Peacebuilding Commission has succeeded in building its credibility by adopting rules and working methods, developing implementation strategies for countries on the agenda and bringing all the stakeholders together to work towards the same goals, thereby avoiding waste of resources and overlap of programmes. It has not been an easy task, as has been recalled.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“First of all, I wish to thank you, Sir, for organizing this debate, which may help point the discussion on the way forward, and the Chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission, Ambassador Takasu, for his presentation. As a member of the Organizational Committee, Italy fully shares and strongly supports Mr. Takasu's agenda, which is our own agenda and an ambitious agenda, as it must be. All of us who took part in the run-up to the Summit discussing this issue, and after the Summit in the run-up to the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission, remember very well what we had in mind and what were our expectations and ambitions. I think that, certainly, we must have a realistic and pragmatic approach, but we must also, I repeat, be ambitious.”
2007-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5761 (2007) · source
“I am glad to report that we are working hard, together with our Afghan and international partners, to ensure the full and timely implementation of the successful outcomes of the Rome Conference on the Rule of Law in Afghanistan, which was held in July.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“Let me conclude by expressing to our Afghan friends our regret over the sudden interruption, a few days ago, of the de facto moratorium on executions in Afghanistan. Our absolute opposition to the death penalty is very well known and has not wavered in the least by the fact that Italian nationals were among the victims of the crimes of which one of the executed was convicted. A moratorium is particularly important in those cases where further progress is still needed in the reform of law enforcement agencies and the judicial sector. Finally, I would take like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Italy remains fully committed to helping Afghan authorities to build a professional, accountable and effective justice system in line with the highest international standards.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“The representative of Portugal, speaking on behalf of the presidency of the European Union, will elaborate on the progress made on two issues that, in our View, are the keystones for the sustainability of our efforts, namely, the foundation of functional and professional Afghan security forces and the creation of an environment conducive to regional security. I will only add that Italy will spare no effort to promote further progress in those areas. For example, we are favourably considering the Afghan request to support the organization in Herat, later this month, of the ministerial conference of the Economic Cooperation Organization. More generally, we pay tribute to all actors contributing to those endeavours. We are proud that, through the European Union Police Mission, the Union is actively engaged in the police reform process.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“Such measures become all the more urgent as we approach the 2009 elections. Here, once again, the United Nations can play a key role, on the basis of the increasingly focused mandate of UNAMA outlined in resolution 1746 (2007). It is, therefore, essential to support the proposal made by the Secretary-General in his report concerning UNAMA's international staff. We believe that Member States could hardly make a better investment. Let me emphasize once again that, in our view, UNAMA must be given all the political support and resources to fulfil its complex mandate in a challenging environment.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“Such calls must be translated into action to ensure that our military, political and reconstruction efforts make a positive difference in the lives of the Afghan people, rather than the opposite, and that they result in increased public confidence in the legitimate authorities. We fully share the Secretary-General's emphasis on the idea that all of our actions at this crucial juncture should be confidence-oriented and closely coordinated with the Afghan Government. We cannot afford to lose the trust of the Afghan people. In this regard, we are confident that our efforts to prevent popular alienation will be reinforced by the renewed Afghan commitment to improve governance and the rule of law, particularly at the local level, and to promote national reconciliation within the framework of the Afghan constitution.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“For that reason, the Compact framework and the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board mechanism are essential and must be further consolidated, including through guidance at the political level as necessary. In the Secretary-General's report, compelling arguments are put forward to define the need for a new, integrated political and military strategy. In our resolutions, we have repeatedly called for greater synergy between the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and between them and the Afghan Government.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“The report (S/2007/555) before us, along with the additional briefing given today by the Special Representative, reminds us of the entity of these challenges with remarkable frankness. As emphasized by our Foreign Minister at the high-level event, coordination is the key word and the only recipe for success in such a complex scenario. This means coordination among donors, coordination between the donor community and the Afghan authorities, coordination between the Government and the international security forces and coordination among the political, economic development and military dimensions of our efforts. That list could be even longer. Sometimes we fall short of our objectives simply because coordination mechanisms are not in place or are not properly used.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“Without the legitimacy provided by the Organization, our commitment would simply be impossible to sustain. The daily sacrifice of military personnel and civilians, Afghan and international alike, is dignified by our shared goals, which are at the core of the principles on which the Organization is built. Our solidarity goes to all the victims of the senseless violence that Afghanistan is enduring, a violence that has not spared Italian nationals. The high-level event that was held three weeks ago in this building was a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress made in Afghanistan and to reinvigorate our common commitment to address the outstanding challenges, thereby helping the Afghan people to build a peaceful, democratic and prosperous country.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“Italy fully aligns itself with the statement to be delivered shortly by the Permanent Representative of Portugal on behalf of the European Union (EU). I will therefore only add a few remarks in my national capacity. At the outset, I wish to thank Mr. Koenigs wholeheartedly, not only for his enlightening briefing, but also, more generally, for his outstanding stewardship of the United Nations presence in Afghanistan. Since his appointment almost two years ago, Mr. Koenigs has been able to effectively speak with wisdom and authority, on each and every occasion, on behalf of the Security Council and of the entire international community. It is crucial that we continue to stand united in supporting the Afghan people, rallying behind the impartial and central role of the United Nations.”
2007-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5760 (2007) · source
“I hereby reiterate the position expressed by the ministers of the European Union on the need for the Security Council to consider further steps. On its part, the European Union has already decided to toughen its sanctions against the regime in Myanmar, while providing increased humanitarian assistance to the country.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“The message that must come from this body - not necessarily, of course, from this meeting, but certainly in the coming days - must be a strong message of strong support to the Secretary-General, so that we will strengthen the hand of Mr. Gambari, his Special Envoy, in future initiatives. That is to say, we must strengthen his hand in the implementation of the messages that he has delivered on behalf of all of us and in reaching the objectives of his mission. We must strengthen his hand. I think that is what is at stake, and I heard all those who took the floor before me highlighting that point. We are convinced that the Council's role will be essential in achieving our common goals in the country and beyond, namely reconciliation, stability, freedom and democracy.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“Our firm belief is nurtured by the strong statements we have heard in the past several days from the countries of the region and in particular from the ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the main subregional organization. We must continue to engage at the highest level with key players, notably in the region. Our special thanks goes to China for the constructive role that it has played and, I am sure, will play, and its influence. We are convinced that they hold a special responsibility to promote a peaceful and democratic solution to the current situation. At the same time, the Security Council should continue to be informed on a regular basis about the developments on the ground and the progress in the implementation of the Secretary-General's good offices mandate.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“That is gradually being recognized by the entire international community, along with the need for an immediate release of all political prisoners and the recognition of the vital role to be played by the United Nations in this regard. The consensual resolution adopted three days ago by the Human Rights Council testifies that the peaceful voice of the demonstrators in Myanmar has been heard and is mobilizing the attention of the community of nations as a whole. As has already been said by others, this Council cannot remain silent. We are convinced that the latest events make it increasingly difficult to argue against the competence of this body to address the situation in Myanmar.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“Three days ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed, before the Human Rights Council, her concern for the safety and well-being of the monks and for the thousands of people arrested in the course and aftermath of the peaceful demonstrations. We fully share her concerns and join her call on the Myanmar authorities to give a full account of their actions, including precise and verifiable information on the number of people killed and injured and on the whereabouts and condition of those who were arrested. Humanitarian organizations should be given full access to detainees. A democratic transition, to be achieved through an inclusive political dialogue, remains the only viable recipe for peace and development in Myanmar.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“I will carefully report, of course, to my Government on the content of Mr. Gambari's briefing, which has shadows and light. It was eagerly awaited by the entire international community and will certainly be studied in Rome with the greatest attention, in line with the central priorities that our Government, Parliament, civil society and public opinion attach to the call of the people of Myanmar for peace, democracy and freedom. Unfortunately, since Mr. Gambari's departure from the country, we have continued to receive very disturbing reports of repression. The suspension of demonstrations has not been achieved through dialogue and reconciliation, but rather through a ruthless crackdown and intimidation that we strongly deplore and condemn.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“It is a fact that, as the Secretary-General has said, a window of opportunity is now open and I make an appeal to the authorities of Myanmar not to close it. I am looking forward to what my colleague from Myanmar will say to show that we are on the right track. We are convinced that the unanimous support lent by this Council and by the entire international community was instrumental in the access to political actors granted to Mr. Gambari during his mission. Once again, cohesion, unity of vision and common purpose have proven to be powerful driving forces. The United Nations has reaffirmed its unique role as the trusted and legitimate highest body of international governance. Today I am glad to see the Secretary- General here with us, further reinforcing this message, and I thank him.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“First of all, I express my strongest appreciation to the Secretary-General and to his Special Envoy, Mr. Gambari, for their strenuous efforts on behalf of all of us. I cannot appreciate enough the special efforts of the Special Adviser, Mr. Gambari, because the messages that he has delivered to the Myanmar authorities and the objectives of his mission as he has described them are messages and objectives that I think all of us around this table share. Most important of all, I would say that they are shared by the membership at large. His briefing today confirms that, through his mission, he has been able to achieve the maximum possible under the current circumstances, in 48 hours and notwithstanding all the limitations imposed on him.”
2007-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5753 (2007) · source
“Let us always be well aware of the crucial relevance of the other two tracks of our comprehensive approach: the humanitarian and development tracks, which are central in helping to create the conditions for sustainable peace in the region.”
2007-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5727 (2007) · source
“This will be the largest current peacekeeping operation in Africa, and it will also be the most expensive for the United Nations. We must all be willing to do our part. The peacekeeping force represents an essential component of the international action aimed at restoring peace in Darfur. However, a sustainable solution to the conflict, as has been stated, can only be political. To that end, we wish to reaffirm our utmost support for the efforts to re-energize the political process being conducted by the envoys of the United Nations and the African Union, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim. In that context, our hope is that the upcoming meeting in Arusha will see the participation of all major rebel movements, leading to a shared platform for the subsequent negotiations with the Khartoum Government.”
2007-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5727 (2007) · source
“Italy, as a sponsor of the present resolution, is particularly pleased with the strong message that has been sent through the unanimous adoption of this very important resolution. We express our strong appreciation to the Secretary- General for the crucial role that he has played over these months in bringing us to this point. He has shown strong determination and a very clear political vision. This resolution represents not the conclusion, but rather the beginning, of the international community's new commitment. The true challenge is now the implementation of the resolution. We therefore trust in the cooperation of all interested parties, in particular the Sudan Government. Let us not underestimate the challenges lying ahead of us.”
2007-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5727 (2007) · source
“Pratomo, Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, with regard to a conference certainly deserves to be explored, especially because, as the Minister implied, the conference should have a focused, comprehensive and action-oriented approach that builds upon what has already been achieved.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“Finally, I would like to conclude by referring to the significance of the myriad United Nations frameworks overseen by the Economic and Social Council intended to improve the management and sustainable use of natural resources at the global level. I am thinking not only of major multilateral environmental agreements on climate, desertification and biodiversity, but also of a variety of mechanisms and initiatives, ranging from the Global Compact, to UN-Energy, to the Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, and so forth. It might be useful for the future to consider those activities in a more coherent framework, bearing in mind their broader impact on long-term conflict prevention. Lastly, I think that the idea raised by the Mr.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“With regard to the wider range of initiatives that are not directly linked to the Council's own efforts but that make a contribution to the same goal, I would like to underline the importance of the efforts being made in the area of combating corruption, promoting the transparency of revenues and corporate responsibility of private-sector enterprises through initiatives undertaken within the European Union and the G8 framework, to which Italy continues to contribute actively, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The efforts of the General Assembly with regard to the very issue we are debating here today are of fundamental importance. In that regard, as all other speakers have done, allow me to refer to the Kimberley Process as the best example to date of international cooperation in this area.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“As for the post-conflict period, it is fundamental to ensure accountable and transparent management of natural resources in order to generate the financial resources that are needed for reconstruction and development and to let people share in the dividends of peace. In that regard, as other speakers who have taken the floor before me have done, we would like to stress the crucial role that the Peacebuilding Commission could play in this field by assisting the Governments concerned. At the same time, regional initiatives can also play an important role, such as the Protocol against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources, which was adopted last December by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“In that regard, Italy supports stronger engagement by the United Nations system in preventing the exploitation of natural resources by the parties to a conflict and making the utmost effort to that end, keeping in mind that the issue must also be addressed from the point of view of development and as part of the development agenda. We can benefit a great deal from the lessons learned in cases such as Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where the Security Council responded to the crises by imposing commodity sanctions in a successful and effective manner. Italy also believes that whenever commodity sanctions are in place, peacekeeping operations should be given an appropriate mandate to assist the Government concerned to prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources from further fuelling the conflict.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“Italy fully associates itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Germany on behalf of the European Union. Allow me to make just a few additional remarks. There is no doubt that the mismanagement of natural resources can become a cause of conflict or contribute to fuelling and sustaining an ongoing conflict, especially when it comes to the illegal trade or trafficking of high-market-value resources. Moreover, in the post-conflict phase, lack of good governance in the management of natural resources could create instability, increasing the risk of relapsing into conflict.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“It is indeed an honour for all of us to have Minister De Gucht among us here. I would like to thank the President for taking the initiative to convene this debate, as well as for the very lucid, focused and forward-looking concept paper that he has provided. This debate provides a very good opportunity to take up the theme of natural resources and conflict from the perspective of the Security Council while at the same time stressing the importance of the role and experience in this field of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. I would therefore like to extend a warm welcome to Sheikha Al Khalifa and Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis, and thank them for their statements. I would also like to thank Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for his substantial introductory remarks.”
2007-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5705 (2007) · source
“Thirdly, and finally, in situations where any civilian population is the target of attacks, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court provides the legal basis for holding accountable those responsible for the attacks if a State is unwilling or unable to do so. In this regard, we must reiterate our commitment to end impunity. I would like to close with the words of Under- Secretary-General Holmes, who rightly emphasized that "if there is one thing we need to do above all, it is to end the culture of impunity which underlies so many abuses" (supra).”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“In this respect, we are particularly concerned about the protection of the most fragile groups, those who are the most exposed to the consequences of conflict. I am, obviously, referring to women and children. Secondly, the consistent reports regarding the increase in the number of journalists being killed in conflict situations are alarming. Security Council resolution 1738 (2006) addresses the safety and security of journalists. Accordingly, Italy promoted the inclusion of a reference to it in resolution 1746 (2007), extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“It addressed key protection issues, such as a rise in the deliberate targeting of civilians in conflict, the indiscriminate use of force, forced displacement and the issue of safety and access of humanitarian personnel. Let me briefly touch on a few aspects, before concluding my statement. The protection of civilians is not an abstract political or legal concept. It is, of course, understood- as recalled by Under-Secretary-General Holmes and by many other previous speakers - that what is at stake here is the seriousness and credibility of our commitment to the responsibility to protect. Civilian suffering and casualties are very concrete, and particularly and increasingly troubling, realities in the very many crisis areas and the numerous aspects that were recalled by Under-Secretary-General Holmes.”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“The second is to use a framework based on that of the Working Group on children in armed conflict and its reporting mechanism also for protection of civilians in armed conflict so as to provide, as so rightly highlighted by Under-Secretary-General Holmes, a better system of proactive - I stress the word "proactive" - monitoring and prevention, advocacy, awareness- raising and capacity-building. The third idea is to encourage further cooperation among the relevant actors to follow up on the decisions of the Security Council in this regard, taking into due account the crucial role of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Under-Secretary-General Holmes's briefing was troubling in many ways.”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“We welcome the progress and positive achievements made in this field, which is at the core of United Nations activity in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and rapid response in times of crisis. We now have to focus on how to ensure the steady implementation of resolution 1674 (2006) - to move from words to deeds, as our colleague from the United States has just said. In this respect, Italy would like to stress three simple operational ideas. The first is to systematically address the issue of protection of civilians on the ground upon revision of the mandates of United Nations missions and operations.”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“I would like to express the strongest appreciation to Under-Secretary-General Holmes for his passionate briefing, which provided a comprehensive picture of the progress made and of our continuing concerns about the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, which is one of our top priorities, as Under-Secretary-General Holmes rightly emphasized. Italy fully associates itself with the statement to be delivered later by the representative of Germany on behalf of the European Union. Allow me to make only a few additional remarks. Resolution 1674 (2006) marked a milestone in the work of the Security Council, affirming the responsibility of States to protect civilians in armed conflict, in line with the principles of international humanitarian law.”
2007-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5703 (2007) · source
“We are confident that important decisions will be made to reaffirm the purpose for which the Tribunals were established, namely, the punishment of those responsible for the most horrific international crimes in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda. International criminal justice in those areas, as in the rest of the world, does not expire in 2010. I would like to join other colleagues who have spoken before me in emphasizing the absolute need to consider a transitional mechanism that goes beyond 2010.”
2007-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5697 (2007) · source
“Other aspects of the strategies that we wish to underline here are the ongoing referrals of intermediate and lower-ranking cases to competent national jurisdictions by the Tribunals, provided that the national jurisdictions fulfil the human rights requirements referred to in resolution 1534 (2004); the reshaping of judicial activities, which will focus on appeals and on the possible revision of judgements; and the expansion, if possible, of the Tribunals' outreach and capacity-building activities, which have proved to have an enormous impact on the civilian population. Finally, we would like to recall that the Tribunals' legacy is under serious consideration within the Council. Many delicate issues, both judicial and administrative in character, are at stake.”
2007-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5697 (2007) · source
“As to the future endeavours of the ad hoc Tribunals in their completion strategies, Italy believes that the crucial issues should be to finalize the numerous cases the Tribunals are dealing with and to conduct trials against fugitives once they are apprehended. In that regard, I wish to commend the ICTY and the ICTR - and especially their Presidents, Judge Pocar and Judge Byron - for their reports, in which a precise timeframe for the remaining judicial activities was given for the first time. Their assessments show once again how determined the ICTY and the ICTR and their Presidents are to fulfil the completion strategies.”
2007-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5697 (2007) · source
“The recent apprehension by the Bosnian authorities of one of the most prominent fugitives - General Tolimir - and the arrest yesterday in Montenegro of Vlastimir Djordjevic, illustrate that the international community is fully engaged in the capture of those allegedly responsible for international crimes in the former Yugoslavia. We hope that similar actions will lead to the apprehension of other major fugitives - especially Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic and, as regards the ICTR, Mr. Kabuga. We should not forget that respect for the victims and their loved ones implies that the perpetrators of the gravest international crimes must not go unpunished.”
2007-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5697 (2007) · source