YouSaid · the spoken record

The Secretary-General

lines on the record: 436
first: 1992-01-31
most recent: 2023-12-08
sittings or episodes: 52
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 Myanmar, social media has been exploited to demean and demonize the Rohingya minority, inciting attacks and violence. In Iraq, the recent proliferation of hate speech targeting Yazidis in Sinjar has stoked fears within the community that it will once again be the target of atrocity crimes. The list goes on, and it is growing. Hate is a danger to everyone, and fighting it therefore must be a job for everyone. We must collectively strengthen our defences. First, we must reign in the hate that is spreading online. Earlier this week, I launched a policy brief to promote information integrity on digital platforms.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“Last year, a survey of United Nations peacekeepers found that 75 per cent see mis- and disinformation as a direct threat to their safety and security. From our Resident Coordinators to our envoys, mediators and peacekeepers — all have raised the alarm. And of course, many challenges on the agenda of the Council are directly affected by hate speech, supercharged by modern technologies. From Bosnia and Herzegovina to Libya and beyond, hate speech is exacerbating tensions among communities and eroding trust in institutions. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, hate speech has been used to vilify minorities, and disinformation campaigns have smeared and threatened United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian workers with lies.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“Social media has equipped hatemongers with a global bullhorn for bile. Today no conspiracy is too outrageous to find a vast audience, no falsehood too absurd to fuel an online frenzy. Unverified assertions, or outright lies, can gain instant credibility, placed on an equal footing with facts and science. They are often embraced, and even promoted, by political leaders. Hate-fuelled ideas and language are moving from the margins to the mainstream, coarsening the public discourse and triggering real-life violence. The effects are everywhere, and they are deadly. The perpetrators of the heinous attacks on a mosque in Christchurch, a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a church in Charleston were all radicalized online. The United Nations itself is not immune to that threat.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“It is also a result of those crimes, contributing to horrific cycles of violence that can churn for decades. It greases the wheels of violence, frays the social fabric and corrodes the pillars of stability. It is, in short, often the bloody heart of conflict. And that heart is pumping venom and division throughout the bloodstream of the global body politic. Around the world, we are witnessing a groundswell of xenophobia, racism, intolerance, violent misogyny, anti-Muslim hatred, virulent antisemitism and attacks on minority Christian communities. Neo-Nazi white supremacist movements today represent the top and the fastest growing internal security threat in several countries. The demonization of the other, disdain for diversity and disregard for human rights — those evils are not new to our time. What is new is their speed and reach.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“As such it is inspired by what unites and not by what divides the great religions of the world.” Every great faith summons the imperatives of human fraternity, mutual respect and understanding. These universal values animate the United Nations Charter and are at the core of our work for peace, justice and human rights. Preserving peace and preventing war is the raison d’être of the Council. Threats to peace come in many forms — from competition for power and resources, to human rights violations and weak governance, and to extreme poverty, inequalities and marginalization that breed hopelessness and despair. But an all-too- common denominator to the onset and escalation of conflict is hatred of the other. Hate fuels humankind’s worst impulses. It is a catalyst for polarization and radicalization and a conduit for atrocity crimes.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“I thank the Government of the United Arab Emirates for convening this important debate on the values of human fraternity in promoting and sustaining peace. It is an immense privilege to be joined today by His Eminence Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See. I also extend a warm welcome to Latifa Ibn Ziaten, who is providing a briefing on behalf of civil society. Faith leaders are vital allies in our shared quest for global peace. My esteemed predecessor Dag Hammarskjöld once observed that “The United Nations stands outside — necessarily outside — all confessions, but it is, nevertheless, an instrument of faith.”
2023-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9346 (2023) · source
“Countries that export weapons should refuse to do business with any party that fails to comply with international humanitarian law. Those who commit war crimes must be held to account. States must investigate alleged war crimes, prosecute perpetrators and enhance other States’ capacity to do so. We must also do everything in our power to break the deadly cycle of armed conflict and hunger, addressing the underlying causes of hunger by strengthening vulnerable countries’ economies, honouring commitments to support countries on the front lines of the climate crisis and increasing contributions to humanitarian operations, which are, shamefully, just 15 per cent funded globally. Civilians have suffered the deadly effects of armed conflict for too long. It is time we live up to our promise to protect them.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“Where war continues, all countries must comply with international humanitarian law, and members of the Security Council have a particular responsibility. Governments should incorporate international humanitarian law into national laws and military rules and training. Humanitarians must be ensured safe access. Attacks against them must cease, and their work must be facilitated, including by the removal of deadly bureaucratic barriers. It is unconscionable that vital aid languishes in ports and warehouses as people die. The Security Council has a special role to play in urging States to respect the rules of war. Governments with influence over warring parties should engage in political dialogue and train forces on protecting civilians.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“We must never lose sight of the meaning and purpose of international humanitarian law. It is the difference between life and death, between restraint and anarchy, and between losing ourselves in horror and retaining our humanity. But law overlooked is law undermined. We need action and accountability to ensure that it is respected, and that depends on political will. Peace is the best form of protection. We must intensify our efforts to prevent conflict, protect civilians, preserve peace and find political solutions to war. In the coming weeks, I will issue a policy brief on New Agenda for Peace in preparation for next year’s Summit of the Future, which will offer a holistic approach for Member States to consider, tuned to the times, in order to address peace and security in a changing world.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“I urge all States to implement it and to exclude humanitarian and medical activities from their own counter-terrorism and sanctions measures. Those modest steps are welcome, but the terrible truth is that the world is failing to live up to its commitments to protect civilians — commitments enshrined in international humanitarian law. The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Protocols Additional are the cornerstone of that legal framework. I pay tribute to the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the guardian of those treaties. Its personnel meet danger and brutality with bravery, compassion and humanity, and they will always have my full support. The ICRC’s role is unique, it has the mandate to respond, and that mandate must be respected by every Government, every armed group and every fighter.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“Looking ahead, we hope that exports of food and fertilizers, including ammonia from the Russian Federation and Ukraine, will be able to reach global supply chains safely and predictably. That is foreseen in both the Black Sea Initiative and the memorandum of understanding, the implementation of which the United Nations is fully committed to support. In November 2022, States adopted the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. I urge all States to join this initiative and turn the Declaration into meaningful action. In December 2022, the Security Council adopted resolution 2664 (2022), aimed at preventing United Nations sanctions from harming civilians and obstructing humanitarian action.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“The Black Sea Initiative and the memorandum of understanding to promote Russian food and fertilizer to global markets has helped to stabilize markets, bring down prices and ease the food crisis. Ukraine has been able to export more than 30 million metric tons of food. That includes life-saving grain transported by the World Food Programme to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen. I welcome the Russian Federation’s confirmation that it will continue to participate in the Black Sea Initiative for another 60 days. But outstanding issues remain, and the representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the United Nations will continue to discuss them.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“I saw that for myself during my recent visit to Somalia. After years of war, Somalis have been experiencing their worst drought in decades. An estimated 43,000 people died as a result in 2022 alone, half of them children, and millions were forced from their homes. There has been action over the past year to alleviate the impact of conflict on civilians. Some parties to conflicts have taken steps to protect children, allow humanitarians to gain access to those in need and more. My newly appointed United Nations Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator is leading a system-wide response to rising food insecurity, and our Action Agenda on Internal Displacement outlines a plan to respond to the record number of displaced persons and prevent further crises.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“(spoke in English) War means hunger. Armed conflict is a key factor driving food insecurity around the world. Last year, more than 117 million people faced acute hunger primarily because of war and insecurity, and this is an outrage. Damage to critical infrastructure hampers food production, blocks distribution and deprives people of safe water. Syria now has 40 per cent less drinking water than it did at the start of the conflict. Fighters destroy crops and steal livestock. Explosives contaminate fertile land. Markets cannot function, and prices skyrocket. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the rise in the price of food, energy and fertilizer globally, with terrible effects for the world’s poorest. And when conflict combines with the climate crisis, harvests shrink and people go hungry.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“Last year, 94 per cent of those in populated areas who fell victim to such weapons were civilians. The women and men who were able to flee the fighting did so in record numbers. The total number of refugees forced from their homes, owing to conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution reached 100 million. Health-care facilities and schools were devastated, and their workers were injured, kidnapped or killed. At least 2,000 schools were destroyed in three regions of Ethiopia alone. Humanitarian workers also faced regular threats. Their work was hampered by violence, bureaucracy, political considerations and overly broad sanctions and counter-terrorism measures. In Afghanistan, the ban by the de facto authorities on women working in the humanitarian aid sector is having life-threatening consequences for women and girls.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“I thank the Government of Switzerland for convening this important debate and President Spoljaric Egger and Ms. Mounkaïla for joining us. Less than six weeks have passed since war erupted in the Sudan. In that time, hundreds of civilians have been killed, including United Nations personnel. Some 250,000 people have fled the country. Hospitals have been occupied and attacked. The price of goods is reported to have quadrupled in parts of the country, and aid warehouses have been looted on a massive scale. As terrible as the current reality is, it is far from exceptional. My report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict in 2022 (S/2023/345) shows that war is devastating lives throughout the world. Explosive weapons continue to wreak havoc, especially in urban areas.”
2023-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9327 (2023) · source
“We are establishing a hub in Port Sudan to enable us to continue to work with our partners in support of peace and to alleviate humanitarian suffering. One third of the Sudan’s people needed humanitarian aid even before the recent crisis; that number can only have risen sharply after the destruction of the past 10 days. The United Nations stands with the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and its regional and international partners. Above all, we stand with the Sudanese people and their hopes and demands for peace, the restoration of civilian rule and the democratic transition.”
2023-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9310 (2023) · source
“The parties to the conflict must respect the 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the United States and come together to establish a permanent cessation of hostilities. I urge all Council members and other Member States and regional organizations with influence to press them to de-escalate tensions and return to the negotiating table immediately. I commend our Sudanese and international partners, including several present today, who are working to support peace in the Sudan. The United Nations has reconfigured its presence to protect its personnel and their families while staying and delivering support to the Sudanese people. The United Nations leadership in the Sudan, headed by my Special Representative Volker Perthes, remains in the country.”
2023-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9310 (2023) · source
“The power struggle in the Sudan is not only putting that country’s future at risk. It is lighting a fuse that could detonate across borders, causing immense suffering for years and setting development back by decades. The fighting must stop immediately. We need an all-out effort for peace. I call on the parties to the conflict, Generals Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti”, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, to silence the guns. It is incumbent on the Sudanese leaders to put the interests of their people front and centre. The conflict will not, and must not, be resolved on a battlefield over the bodies of the people of the Sudan. The Sudanese people have made their wishes very clear. They want peace and the restoration of civilian rule through the transition to democracy.”
2023-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9310 (2023) · source
“Refugees and returnees have arrived in Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, and I thank the Governments of those countries for their support. These 10 days of violence and chaos have been heartbreaking. A prolonged, full-scale war is unbearable to contemplate. The Sudan borders seven other countries, all of which have either been involved in conflict or seen serious civil unrest over the past decade. It is a gateway to the Sahel, where insecurity and political instability are making an already catastrophic humanitarian situation even worse. Across the wider region, poverty and hunger are rampant. The climate emergency, the global cost-of-living crisis and soaring levels of debt are taking a terrible toll. And in some places humanitarian aid is all that is keeping famine at bay.”
2023-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9310 (2023) · source
“Allow me to say a few words before my colleagues provide their briefings. For 10 days, the Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict, despite calls for a ceasefire from inside and outside the country. At least 450 people have been killed, including four members of our United Nations family. More than 4,000 have been injured and tens of thousands have fled their homes. Reports from Khartoum paint a devastating picture. People are trapped indoors, terrified, with dwindling supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel. Health services are near collapse, and according to the World Health Organization, several hospitals are being used by armed groups. Across the country, there are reports of armed clashes. People have fled their homes in Blue Nile and North Kordofan states and across Darfur.”
2023-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9310 (2023) · source
“It is time to deepen cooperation and to strengthen multilateral institutions, to find common solutions to common challenges. Members of the Security Council, particularly those that enjoy the privilege of serving permanently, have a particular responsibility to make multilateralism work, rather than contribute to its dismemberment. Competition between States is inevitable, but that should not rule out cooperation where shared interests and the greater good are at stake. And when competition escalates into confrontation, the multilateral system, founded on the Charter and international law, is the most effective means to manage disputes peacefully. We must cooperate. We must adapt multilateral institutions and foster trust where it is most needed. The urgency of global challenges demands bold and swift action.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“The High-level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, which I appointed last year, has identified a number of transformational shifts to address peace and security challenges, growing economic inequalities, the triple planetary crisis of climate-biodiversity-pollution and a widening digital divide. I hope its report will make a significant contribution to our collective reflection in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future, to be held next year. I count on members’ engagement and support in preparations for the Summit. Our institution was created for crisis. Throughout its history, the United Nations has overcome seemingly intractable conflicts and deep divisions. We must find a way forward and act now, as we have done before, to stop the slide towards chaos and conflict.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“Our Common Agenda envisions a multilateralism that is more inclusive, with space for the contributions of all countries and communities, and more networked, with strong links among the United Nations family, international financial institutions, regional organizations, trading blocs and others. Member States are in the lead on adapting intergovernmental organs to meet changing needs. A majority now acknowledge that the Security Council itself would benefit from reforms that reflect today’s geopolitical reality. The same is true of the Bretton Woods institutions; they also do not reflect the reality of today’s global economy.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“Thirdly, effective multilateralism must include a commitment to tackling new and emerging challenges and filling in gaps in global governance to achieve the promise of the Charter in the twenty-first century. That is the driving force behind my report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), including the proposed New Agenda for Peace, which will offer a unifying vision anchored in trust, universality and solidarity. It will address all forms and domains of threats, taking a holistic view of the peace continuum, from prevention, peacemaking and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and sustainable development. It will underline preventive action as a priority at all levels.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“The principles enshrined in the Charter and reinforced in the Declaration on Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States — respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States, non-interference in the affairs of other States, the elimination of all forms of discrimination and the peaceful settlement of disputes — are bulwarks against uncertainty and fragmentation. They are the foundation of all international cooperation to end conflicts, save lives, protect human rights and promote social and economic progress. Secondly, I urge Member States to use the full range of diplomatic tools that the United Nations Charter provides for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Those include the use of my good offices to help resolve disputes and secure peace.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“The Black Sea Grain Initiative and the memorandum of understanding to facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizers are compelling examples of the significance of multilateral cooperation facilitated by the United Nations. They clearly demonstrate that such cooperation is essential to creating greater security and prosperity for all, and I urge their continued implementation. But we need to do better, go further and work faster. That must start with countries recommitting to their obligations under the United Nations Charter, putting human rights and dignity first and prioritizing the prevention of conflict and crises.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“All those global challenges can be solved only through respect for international law, adherence to global commitments and the adoption of appropriate frameworks of multilateral governance. As difficult as the past year has been, I am heartened that Members States have made progress in several crucial areas. A binding treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity was finalized. The twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, achieved a breakthrough in addressing loss and damage caused by climate change. The General Assembly recognized the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Those developments are important, and their effects could be far-reaching.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“The situation in the Sudan now threatens to destabilize the entire region. While there are some promising developments in Yemen and Libya, more than 100 million people have fled their homes to escape violence, conflict and persecution around the world. Effective multilateral responses are urgently needed to prevent and resolve conflicts, manage economic uncertainty, rescue the Sustainable Development Goals and address challenges to the global norms against the use and possession of nuclear weapons. We are witnessing a deepening climate crisis, soaring inequalities, a rising threat from terrorism, a global pushback against human rights and gender equality, and the unregulated development of dangerous technologies.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“None of that progress would have been possible without countries standing together as a multilateral human family, which makes today’s situation all the more dangerous. We face unprecedented and interlocking crises, but the multilateral system is under greater strain than at any time since the creation of the United Nations. Tensions between major Powers are at a historic high, as are the risks of conflict through misadventure or miscalculation. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law, is causing massive suffering and devastation to the country and its people and adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the coronavirus disease pandemic. Elsewhere conflicts grind on, from Myanmar to the Sahel, from Somalia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“United Nations peacekeeping operations have helped societies move away from conflict, saving perhaps millions of lives. Our disarmament and non-proliferation efforts have helped to confine nuclear weapons to a handful of States. The United Nations was central to the decolonization process and the independence of 80 former colonies that are today Members of the United Nations. We have helped to advance economic and social progress and contributed to reducing poverty and hunger, eradicating diseases and building recognition and respect for fundamental human rights. The global humanitarian system coordinated by the United Nations saves millions of lives each year. Multilateral solutions to global problems, from the ozone layer to the eradication of polio, are tried, tested and proven to work.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“We must all do everything within our power to pull the Sudan back from the edge of the abyss. I thank you, Mr. President, for convening the Security Council today on the important issue of effective multilateralism. Multilateral cooperation is the beating heart of the United Nations, its raison d’être and guiding vision. The establishment of the United Nations, in 1945, represented humankind’s best attempt to prevent any repetition of the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust. Over the past 78 years, the multilateral system has held together and delivered some notable successes. The tools and mechanisms established by the Charter of the United Nations have played their part in averting a third world war. Peacemaking and preventive diplomacy by the United Nations have helped end conflicts around the world.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“We will continue our efforts with our partners to secure a permanent halt to the fighting as soon as possible. Working with humanitarian organizations on the ground, we are reconfiguring our presence in the Sudan to enable us to continue supporting the Sudanese people. Let me be clear: the United Nations is not leaving the Sudan. Our commitment is to the Sudanese people, in support of their wishes for a peaceful and secure future. We stand with them at this terrible time. I have authorized the temporary relocation, both inside and outside the Sudan, of some United Nations personnel, many of them with their families. I call on all Security Council members to exert maximum leverage with the parties to end the violence, restore order and return to the path of the democratic transition.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“Allow me to start my remarks with a few words on the Sudan, where the situation continues to worsen. Since the start of fighting on 15 April, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have been injured. The violence must stop. It risks a catastrophic conflagration within the Sudan that could engulf the whole region and beyond. I strongly condemn the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, including health-care facilities. I call on the parties to stop combat operations in densely populated areas and to allow unhindered humanitarian aid operations. Civilians must be able to access food, water and other essential supplies and to evacuate from combat zones. I am in constant contact with the parties to the conflict and have called on them to de-escalate tensions and to return to the negotiating table.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308 (2023) · source
“It is in their names and in the memory of those who were killed by terrorism and violent extremism that we will continue our work to end the scourge once and for all. I thank the Security Council and all Member States for standing with us in such essential efforts in Africa and beyond.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“The New Agenda for Peace sets out a holistic and comprehensive approach to building more peaceful and stable societies, in which terror and violent extremism have no place, through prevention, by addressing the economic and social conditions that can lead to terrorism in the first place, and through inclusion, by ensuring that counter-terrorism strategies reflect the lived experiences of all communities and constituencies, particularly minorities, women and young people, and by always placing human rights and the rule of law at the core of all our work. (spoke in English) At every step, we commit to upholding the essential rights and dignity of terrorism’s victims and survivors by supporting and helping to heal those who have been harmed and displaced.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“We will therefore never succeed in the fight against that scourge if we perpetuate that denial and destruction. Evidence shows that counter-terrorism efforts that are focused solely on security rather than human rights can inadvertently increase marginalization and exclusion and further exacerbate the situation.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“We are tirelessly advocating for a new generation of robust peace enforcement missions and counter-terrorism operations, led by the African Union, with a Security Council mandate under Chapter VII and with guaranteed, predictable funding, namely, through assessed contributions. I urge Member States to support that vital work. (spoke in French) The eighth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in June, co-facilitated by Canada and Tunisia, will be a critical opportunity to strengthen our work in that area and find new ways to more effectively tackle the structural conditions that create fertile ground for terrorism. The review will also be an opportunity to recall that human rights should be at the centre of our efforts. Terrorism represents the denial, and even the destruction, of human rights.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“It includes our work, through the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, to bring together diverse United Nations agencies, Member States, regional parliaments and civil society to support joint efforts across the continent. Above all, it includes our ongoing close collaboration with the African Union and regional and subregional African organizations. We are delivering tailored assistance to African Member States, including in the areas of prevention, legal assistance, investigations, prosecutions, reintegration, rehabilitation and human rights protection. With Nigeria, we are co-organizing the upcoming African Counter-Terrorism Summit. We are strengthening our work together on important peace initiatives, such as the Independent High-Level Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“Just as terrorism drives people apart, countering it can bring countries together. We see that across Africa, which is home to a number of regional counter-terrorism initiatives, from the joint efforts in the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, Mozambique and beyond to the renewed determination of African leaders to tackle that evolving threat, as seen at the recent Extraordinary Summit of the African Union on terrorism and unconstitutional changes of Government. The United Nations stands with Africa to end the scourge. That includes the Security Council’s policy guidance, technical assistance and support for sanctions regimes. It includes the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s 65 assessment visits to ensure compliance with Security Council requirements, which resulted in thousands of actionable recommendations to Member States to improve responses.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“No age, no culture, no religion, no nationality and no region is immune. But the situation in Africa is especially concerning. Despair, poverty, hunger, a lack of basic services, unemployment and unconstitutional changes in Government continue to lay fertile ground for the creeping expansion of terrorist groups to infect new parts of the continent. I am deeply concerned by the gains that terrorist groups are making in the Sahel and elsewhere. Community by community, they are extending their reach. The trail of terror is widening, with fighters, funds and weapons increasingly flowing between regions and across the continent and with new alliances being forged with organized crime and piracy groups. The online world provides a global platform for spreading violent ideologies even further.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“Terrorism tightens its grip by seeking out and exploiting weaknesses and instability in political, economic and security systems; by preying on the fears and vulnerabilities of people facing grinding poverty, hunger and famine; by exploiting inequalities and social exclusion to aggravate tensions; by trading in the timeless evils of prejudice and discrimination, targeting specific groups, cultures, religions and ethnicities; by engaging in criminal activities, such as money-laundering and illegal mining, as well as the trafficking of arms, drugs, precious minerals, antiquities and human beings; by promoting lies, hatred and disinformation in cyberspace; by keeping women and girls under a constant cloud of intimidation, as well as outright sexual and gender-based violence; and by flouting or ignoring the rule of law, from international human rights law, international humanitarian law, international refugee law and other international norms and standards to the values embedded in the Charter of the United Nations.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“The Secretary-General (spoke in Portuguese; English statement provided by the Secretariat): I commend the Government of Mozambique for convening this timely debate. (spoke in English) Terrorism is the root cause and the result of many of the problems under the consideration of the Security Council.”
2023-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9296 (2023) · source
“The guns are talking now, but in the end we all know that the path of diplomacy and accountability is the road to a just and sustainable peace, peace in line with the United Nations Charter, international law and the resolution adopted yesterday (General Assembly resolution ES-11/6) by the General Assembly. We must prevent further escalation. We must all encourage every meaningful effort to end the bloodshed and, at long last, give peace a chance.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“I want to underscore the importance of all parties remaining engaged in the Initiative, and reiterate our call for it to be extended beyond March 2023. The United Nations is firmly committed to working to remove remaining obstacles to Russian food and fertilizer exports, including ammonia. Those exports are essential to our broader efforts to bring down prices and ease food insecurity around the globe. Both efforts demonstrate that international cooperation is essential, valuable and possible, even in the midst of conflict. Over the past year, the Security Council has held more than 40 debates on Ukraine.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“We continue to urge all parties to swiftly agree and implement a nuclear safety and security protection zone at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to avoid a serious accident with potentially disastrous consequences. Veiled threats to use nuclear weapons in the context of the conflict have spiked nuclear risks to levels not seen since the darkest days of the Cold War. Those threats are unacceptable. (spoke in English) Progress continues to be made under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered with the parties by the United Nations and the Government of Türkiye. More than 20 million metric tons of foodstuffs have now been safely reconnected to global supply chains on more than 700 ships, helping to bring down prices around the world.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“The use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas — in towns, cities and villages — must end. Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for life-saving assistance must be ensured. We must also invest in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. At the request of the Ukrainian Government and on behalf of the United Nations system, the United Nations Development Programme is co-leading an assessment of damage to energy infrastructure, jointly with the World Bank. Since the start of the war, the International Atomic Energy Agency has supported Ukraine to ensure the safety and security of its 15 operating reactors at four nuclear plants, including Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“More than 3,000 schools and colleges have been damaged or destroyed. Millions of students have had their education severely disrupted. Less measurable, but no less important, is the devastating impact of months of displacement and bombardment on the mental health of Ukrainians. Nearly 10 million people, including 7.8 million children, are at risk of acute post-traumatic stress disorder. And make no mistake, the Russian Federation is also suffering the deadly consequences. (spoke in French) We need peace — peace in line with the United Nations Charter and international law. As we work for peace, we will continue calling for action on many fronts. The protection of civilians must remain the top priority. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must stop.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“The crisis has erased 30 per cent of pre-war jobs. The World Food Programme estimates that nearly 40 per cent of Ukrainians are unable to afford or access enough food. The war has sparked a displacement crisis not seen in Europe in decades. More than 8 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe, in addition to an estimated 5.4 million people who have been internally displaced. More than half of all Ukrainian children have been forced from their homes, with unaccompanied and separated children facing grave risks of violence, abuse and exploitation. Vital infrastructure is under fire. Water, energy and heating systems have been destroyed in the depths of a freezing winter. The World Health Organization has verified over 700 attacks on health- care facilities.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law. It has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many casualties and terrible suffering. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented dozens of cases of conflict-related sexual violence against men, women and girls. Serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law against prisoners of war — and hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of civilians — were also documented. Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine. An estimated 17.6 million people — nearly 40 per cent of the population of Ukraine — require humanitarian assistance and protection.”
2023-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9269 (2023) · source