YouSaid · the spoken record

Thomas-Greenfield

lines on the record: 1,605
first: 2021-05-27
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 219
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

“I call on the international community, especially countries in the region and countries with the means to give more, to heed the call of humanity. Amid this crisis, it has been devastating to watch some traditional donors cut their humanitarian budgets. We cannot slash or even merely sustain our aid budgets. We must increase our funding in the year ahead. We must turn this famine postponement into a cancellation. And that will require more countries to contribute and give more, both bilaterally and multilaterally. I therefore appeal to all my colleagues around the table on this issue today. Let us be ambitious. Let us fight this famine and let us do it together. Let us save lives. Before ending, let me note our continued focus on the situation in Türkiye and Syria, where they have experienced another earthquake less than 24 hours ago.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“Our funding last year accounted for more than 80 per cent of the World Food Programme’s emergency operations in the region. We delayed the onset of famine, but it was only a delay. On my recent trip to Mogadishu, I announced that the United States would provide another $40 million to Somalia. That funding will address extreme food gaps and combat the outbreak of deadly diseases. But starting this April, the risk of famine will return. According to the United Nations own figures, without contributions from other donors, critical food and nutrition assistance, supporting 4.6 million people in Somalia, will end in April. We all just heard the call of Ms. Gbeho. I was clear in Somalia, and I will be clear with all members in the Chamber. The United States cannot continue to do that alone. This is a collective responsibility.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“However, we are still gravely concerned about the violence in Laascaanood, particularly the indiscriminate shelling of civilians. We call for an immediate de-escalation of violence, the protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access and for tensions to be resolved peacefully through dialogue. Finally, I want to talk about the drought and the potential for famine again in Somalia. Famine is the ultimate failure of the international community. In a world abundant with food, entire communities should never have to starve to death. The Council cannot sit here and accept that failure. Since 2022, the United States has provided more than $2.5 billion of life-saving assistance to the Horn of Africa. Some $1.3 billion of that went directly to Somalia.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“We expect that drawdown plans will be coordinated with Somali officials in line with Somali-defined security priorities on the ground. But ATMIS has played a key role in the ongoing Somali-led operations against Al-Shabaab. In the meantime, we therefore urge ATMIS to continue to provide the necessary support, in close collaboration with our Somali partners. The United States also welcomes progress towards federalism and political reconciliation. We congratulated the Federal Government and those federal member states that have come to agreement on the national security architecture and a national justice sector framework. We similarly welcomed the agreement reached on parliamentary and presidential elections in South-West state.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“Delivering timely and balanced stabilization interventions to newly liberated territory is imperative to bring security and relief to the Somali people in those areas. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) has a critical role to support the Federal Government of Somalia’s planning and coordination of stabilization efforts in response to operations. We appreciate UNSOM’s efforts to continue highlighting the need for long-term approaches to security and good governance based on security sector reform and the rule of law. Those efforts will pave the way for lasting peace and security in Somalia. We still support the Federal Government’s stated goal of ending the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) by the end of 2024.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“We mourn the Somali people killed in the struggle to free their country from terrorism. One such victim was Danab Deputy Commander Major Hassan Mohamed Osman. His sacrifice and that of others like him reinforces the commitment of the United States to support Somali-led efforts to defeat Al-Shabaab and provide security to the people of Somalia. We therefore welcome the recent commitment by Somalia and its neighbours to expand operations against Al-Shabaab further into southern Somalia, and we strongly support and call on other international partners to help meet Somalia’s force-generation needs. Stability, which is of course directly tied to security, remains a challenge in Somalia.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“Let me thank Deputy Special Representative Gbeho, Special Representative Souef and Executive Director Bahous for their briefings and their insightful presentations today. I would also like to welcome the presence of the Permanent Representative of Somalia at today’s meeting. Last month I had the opportunity to visit Somalia to review the humanitarian stability and security situation. I want to thank Ms. Gbeho and Special Representative Souef for their support during my mission, as I met with both of them there. Let me start with security and some good news. Thanks to the bravery of Somalia security forces and citizens, since last summer, over 70 towns in Hirshabelle and Galmudug have been liberated from Al-Shabaab’s brutal rule. Unfortunately, lives were lost in the process.”
2023-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9267 (2023) · source
“The Council must speak with one voice, as we did in 2017, to condemn this escalating pattern of reckless provocation. To that end, the United States will again propose a presidential statement. We call on each member of the Council to join us in strongly condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful activities and encouraging the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to engage in diplomacy.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea showcased several ballistic missile systems, the development of which is banned by Security Council resolutions, at its recent military parade. Pyongyang paraded short-range ballistic missiles, Hwasong-17 ICBMs and an ostensibly new solid-propellant ICBM system. The regime also touted its tactical nuclear units. If two Member States continue to prevent the Council from carrying out its mandate, we should expect the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to continue to defiantly develop and test these weapons. The Council’s lack of action is worse than shameful; it is dangerous. Now is the time for the Security Council to work together towards a peaceful solution on the Korean peninsula, before it is too late.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“It may be tempting to see this weekend’s launch as a rebuke from Pyongyang, a warning to the Council that we ought to remain silent about its openly declared campaign to build an arsenal of nuclear weapons. The reality is that the last time the Council sent a strong, united message to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was in December of 2017, more than five years ago. When we did that, Pyongyang refrained from any major provocations for nearly five years. It also engaged in dialogue. The reality is that those who shield the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from the consequences of its escalatory missile tests put the Asian region and the entire world at risk of conflict.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“After all, we are tasked with preserving international peace and security, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches, coupled with its threatening rhetoric, is undermining just that. Our repeated failures to respond emboldens the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to conduct these destabilizing and escalatory launches without fear of consequences. But this failure is not collective; it is specific. It stems from the two veto-wielding members of the Council who have repeatedly shut down all efforts at a meaningful response. They have blocked all of our attempts at robust responses, instead condemning any move by the Council to stand behind its own resolutions as provocative. As a result, the Council is failing to do its job.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“We are charged with maintaining international peace and security. But in the face of unprecedented launches last year, two permanent members forced us into silence in spite of countless Democratic People’s Republic of Korea violations. On this vital matter, silence leads to irrelevance. I call on the Council to condemn these ballistic missile launches. I call on the Council to urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions. And I call on the Council to encourage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to engage in meaningful dialogue. At a minimum, those three points should be agreeable to everyone in the Chamber.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khiari for his briefing. The United States condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s 18 and 19 February launches of three ballistic missiles, which included the country’s ninth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch since the start of 2022. The ICBM was launched at a lofted trajectory and landed in the Sea of Japan. That sustained pattern of flagrant violations by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of Council of resolutions explicitly prohibiting ballistic missile launches by the country demands a response from the Council. There is no dancing around a simple fact: the resolutions that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is violating are ours; they came directly from the Council.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9264 (2023) · source
“Ultimately, the parties themselves are the ones that can and must prevent a further downward spiral. In that regard, the United States stands ready to support the parties as they work to rebuild trust and create a foundation for an eventual return to negotiations. At this moment of heightened tensions, we must be sure to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA), which serves as a lifeline to Palestinians and plays an important stabilizing role in the region. For its part, the United States has already announced nearly $50 million in support for UNRWA this new year. We call on our partners to provide early, predictable and flexible funding to UNRWA to ensure that the vital services it provides to the Palestinian people continue uninterrupted.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9263 (2023) · source
“That is why we strongly support the presidential statement (S/PRST/2023/1) put forward by the United Arab Emirates, which demonstrates the Security Council’s unanimous, collective voice on those issues. The presidential statement is real diplomacy at work, and we believe that it signifies to all parties how seriously the Council takes those threats to peace. The United States joins the other members of the Council in asking Israelis and Palestinians alike to take the urgent and necessary steps to restore calm and improve the quality of life for their people. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, by virtue of its special role over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has an indispensable role to play in helping to preserve stability, which could be tested by the impending convergence of Passover, Ramadan and Easter, when tensions tend to run high.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9263 (2023) · source
“Such unilateral measures exacerbate tensions. They harm trust between the parties. The undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-State solution. The United States does not support those actions, full stop. The clear and long-standing position of the United States is that settlement activity is unhelpful and distances us further from a negotiated two-State solution. Such actions are simply detrimental to Israel’s long-term security and to our vision of a sustainable end to the conflict. We therefore call on all parties to work towards the conditions necessary for direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, which is the only path to a sustainable end to the conflict and a two-State solution.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9263 (2023) · source
“This concern is raised by the upcoming period of religious holidays in Jerusalem. We urge all parties to take steps to restore and maintain calm. And we underscore that all visitors and worshippers should respect and maintain the historic status quo of the holy sites in word and in practice. It is essential that Israelis and Palestinians immediately break the cycle of violence, de-escalate and refrain from any unilateral or divisive actions that will take us even further from peace and stability. Let me now add a clear and unequivocal statement. We strongly oppose Israel’s announcement that it will advance thousands of settlement units, and we strongly oppose Israel’s announcement that it began a process to retroactively legalize nine outposts in the West Bank that were previously illegal under Israeli law.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9263 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland and Deputy Commissioner-General Stenseth for their briefings. We are deeply troubled by the spiralling violence across Israel, the West Bank and Jerusalem. We strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks in Israel, including the horrific attack outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem on 27 January and the attack on civilians, including children, at a bust stop in Jerusalem on 10 February. The deliberate targeting of innocent civilians is unconscionable, and the United States supports Israel’s right to self-defence. Terrorist attacks on religious sites, attacks by settlers, attacks on security services, rockets launched against civilian areas and other forms of violence create a cycle of increasingly dangerous escalations.”
2023-02-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9263 (2023) · source
“Fortunately, the worst impacts can be averted, but we have to act now and we have to act together. We look forward to hearing everyone’s views today and partnering to prevent sea level rise in the days to come.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“Our new policy reflects the approach taken by the Pacific Islands Forum and the Alliance of Small Island States. We encourage others to adopt practices consistent with that approach and will work with partner countries to establish and maintain baselines and maritime zone limits. Those actions aim to prevent conflict by ensuring that countries maintain access to their long-standing maritime zones and the corresponding economic opportunities. The truth is that as we look ahead, the threat of sea level rise raises challenging questions on statehood for certain particularly vulnerable islands. We must work together to address those challenges. Those risks also bring into stark relief the urgency of reducing global emissions and helping vulnerable countries and communities to adapt to a changing climate. That is happening today.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“Those efforts are not only important on a humanitarian level but also forestall potential conflicts between and within States ignited by sea level rise. Finally, we are working to establish international policies to blunt the impact of rising sea levels. At the United States Pacific Island Country Summit held last year, we announced a new policy on sea level rise in maritime zones. That policy affirmed our commitment to preserving the legitimacy of States, maritime zones and associated rights and entitlements that have been established consistent with international law and that are not subsequently updated despite sea level rise caused by climate change. The United States will not challenge such maritime zones, even if they are not subsequently updated to reflect sea level rise caused by climate change.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“The President’s Emergency Plan for Adaption and Resilience is also helping vulnerable developing countries adapt to and manage the impact of climate change, including sea level rise. As part of that plan, we are integrating climate support into critical sectors, such as food security, infrastructure, water and health, and ensuring that vulnerable countries and communities access climate and disaster-risk financing. We are also working with our partners to strengthen early warning systems. As we announced at the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we are responding to the Secretary-General’s call for early warning for all. We have committed more than $40 million to help close the early warning gap, including for new resources for small island States in the Pacific.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“The Council must also be immediately and specifically concerned with the way that the rising sea levels will make it harder for peacekeeping operations to fulfil their mandates, especially for missions that have coastal borders. For our part, the United States is responding to those challenges by working with communities vulnerable to sea level rise at home and engaging vulnerable States abroad. The Biden Administration has stepped up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including through the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which puts us on track to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Internationally, we are urging major emitters to raise their ambitions and meet the Paris Agreement targets. Nothing could be more important for limiting the dramatic effect of our oceans rising.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“And even right here in New York City, we caught a glimpse into the future during Hurricane Sandy, as large parts of Staten Island, New Jersey, lower Manhattan and the coasts of Brooklyn and Queens were submerged underwater. The threat of sea level rise is real. It is a direct result of our climate crisis, and it is a matter of international peace and security. The Security Council must take notice and it must take action. More than 680 million people in low-lying coastal areas will lose their homes, livelihoods and communities. Billions more will be displaced. Many will become climate refugees, and most of us will experience severe weather because of rising tides.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“Too often, countries have limited national budgets to enhance resilience, little land to lose and constrained migration options. Such challenges all have the potential to disrupt peace and security and exacerbate existing insecurity and conflicts. In my own home state of Louisiana, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects that Gulf Coast waters could rise by as much as two feet by 2050. Already, Louisiana fishers report that rising waters are damaging infrastructure and livelihoods, forcing locals whose families have lived and worked in those areas for generations to move to higher ground.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening today’s discussion. We truly appreciate your presence here with us at this meeting on a very important topic. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General, as well as President Kőrösi and Foreign Minister Aurescu of Romania, and especially our briefer, Ms. Pasisi, for their thoughts and insights. I also welcome the ministers who are here in the Chamber with us today. Seas rising and overtaking homes, offices, towns, cities and nations should be the stuff of apocalyptic novels and movies. Instead, it is the very real threat we face today. Around the world, the shores of small island nations and low-lying coastal areas are flooding, causing damage, disruption and dislocation on a dramatic scale.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260 (2023) · source
“In the immediate term, we urge all countries to support the 2023 humanitarian response and regional refugee response plans of the United Nations, which are expected to be unveiled in Geneva next week to meet the growing demand. And in the long term, we look forward to working with our fellow members to hold Russia accountable for its appalling actions against the people of Ukraine.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“That is in the hands of one person and one person alone — President Putin. Putin started this war, and he can end it today by pulling his troops out of Ukraine and genuinely allowing peace to take place. For Ukraine, this is a matter of survival. Today’s meeting is an opportunity to affirm the protections granted to civilians and critical infrastructure. We have an opportunity to help those whom Russia has harmed by stepping up and reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations and international law’s most fundamental principles. It is an opportunity to support humanitarian actors and their right to safely reach those in need without being impeded or attacked.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“It committed to facilitating “the unimpeded export of food, sunflower oil and fertilizers” from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Russia would have us believe that it is the aggrieved party here, ignoring the fact that it is the aggressor. Russia must fulfil its commitments and allow the Initiative to work at the pace that meets global demand. We cannot allow Russia to continue its weaponization of food, energy and winter, which, while it hurts us all, is killing Ukrainians. Russia’s actions — deporting children, stalling ships with food from leaving Ukraine and bombing civilians and critical infrastructure — are not the actions of a country ready for peace or that one would expect from a member of the Council. We have heard Council members’ compassionate calls for negotiation and a cessation of hostilities.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia, President Putin’s war is devastating to so many others. Nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine, a majority of them women and children, are sheltering all over Europe. Countries across Europe have striven to provide their Ukrainian neighbours with equitable access to education, labour markets, social protection and health care. Russia’s war has also greatly exacerbated the global food security crisis. We support the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped meet the urgent needs of the world’s most vulnerable and has benefited middle-income countries by stabilizing world grain prices. But unfortunately, thanks to Russia, the movement of grain from Ukraine’s ports has slowed and the backlog of ships waiting for grain is growing. Russia signed an agreement with the United Nations.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Russia has also brought such horrors to the areas that it controls. It is engaging in extensive and unacceptable relocations of Ukraine’s children to Russian-controlled and -occupied territories of Ukraine. Imagine their terror. Russia is also transferring and deporting Ukraine’s children to Russia itself, giving children away to families in Russia and attempting to separate them permanently from their families. That is a violation of the principles of child protection and it must stop. It is difficult to imagine the cruelty of being forced to live in the country that killed your parents or to have the propaganda that has personally caused you so much suffering parroted back to you. Mr. Grandi also noted and was appalled by the practice of issuing Russian Federation passports to Ukrainian children.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“We need to prioritize winterization assistance to address the immediate humanitarian needs and support the Government of Ukraine’s efforts. Humanitarians from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are on the ground right now trying to help. Sadly, even those groups — just trying to help save lives — have not been spared Russia’s attacks. On 24 January, Russia’s artillery fire injured two local NGO employees while they were transporting aid on the front lines. Fortunately, the very next day, a United Nations convoy was able to provide vital humanitarian aid to the town of Siversk in Donetsk, marking the first successful United Nations trip to the heavily damaged town near the front line. But that is far from sufficient. Humanitarians must be allowed access to those in need, unimpeded and unharmed.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Russia’s forces have launched barrage after barrage of missiles and drones on Ukraine, hitting cities and infrastructure, killing and injuring civilians and damaging roads, homes, schools, medical facilities, farmland and power systems. Millions of Ukrainians are now without food, power, access to water or proper heating, even as temperatures drop below freezing. That is unconscionable. On his recent visit to Ukraine, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi saw the destruction and the attacks on civilian infrastructure for himself. He called it appalling. And of course we have heard similar condemnations from Under-Secretary-General Griffiths today. Russia must stop bombing critical infrastructure and killing innocent civilians. Until then, global humanitarian donors must stand by the Ukrainian people.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Like others, let me also express our condolences to Türkiye and the people of Syria who have experienced today’s devastating earthquake. The United States stands ready to provide any assistance needed. Let me congratulate you, Madam, on presiding over the Security Council, as this is the first time I have spoken in the Council since Malta assumed the presidency. I also thank Under-Secretary-General Griffiths for his sobering briefing. The humanitarian horrors of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine continue to cause massive human suffering both in Ukraine and around the world. Within Ukraine’s borders, more than 17 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian aid. Nearly 6 million people are internally displaced, forced to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Let us do everything in our power to reduce tensions and keep alive the hope of the two-State solution. Let us do everything in our power to advance regional peace and integration, and let us do everything in our power to support the region’s most vulnerable.”
2023-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9246 (2023) · source
“We agree with the Special Coordinator’s point that the Forum could provide new avenues for advancing the Israeli-Palestinian track. I would also like to urge the return of two captive Israelis, held in Gaza, and the remains of others, including those of the Goldin family, to help alleviate their pain. In conclusion, I urge member States to work with us to strengthen the long-standing financial stability of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. That means increasing financial contributions to an organization that is a critical lifeline for Palestinians, helps Palestinians cope with ever-rising food prices and ensures that Palestinian refugees can receive education and proper health care. This is a delicate moment for the future of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
2023-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9246 (2023) · source
“The United States will also continue to promote the protection of fundamental rights and democratic values, including the freedom of expression. Despite the region’s serious challenges, there is also cause for optimism — for example, last week’s meeting of the Negev Forum working group in Abu Dhabi brought together 150 representatives from across the Middle East to expand and deepen normalization. It was the largest gathering of Israeli and Arab Government officials since the Madrid Conference held in 1991 and presented a real opportunity to bolster security, peace and economic prosperity for all the peoples of the region. We will continue to find ways to engage the outcomes of the Negev Forum to tangibly improve Palestinian lives.”
2023-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9246 (2023) · source
“Such de-escalation is badly needed now as much as ever. We are very concerned by the situation in the West Bank and the potential for further instability. We condemn recent terrorist acts in the West Bank and remain deeply troubled by the number of casualties, which only seems to be increasing. Urgent tangible measures must be taken to prevent further loss of life and to facilitate increased economic growth. Let me be clear: we continue to oppose unilateral actions that endanger stability and the viability of a two-State solution. Such actions include those that threaten the historic status quo at Al-Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount; settlement-building and the legalization of outposts; and annexation, acts of terrorism and incitement.”
2023-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9246 (2023) · source
“I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing. The United States looks forward to working with the new Israeli Government to advance the interests and values that have been at the heart of our relationship for decades. We also look forward to continuing to improve ties with the Palestinian people and leadership. As I have said repeatedly, the United States remains firmly committed to a two-State solution. Two States living side by side in peace and security is the best way to ensure equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians. Such a peace can be achieved only through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Divisive actions by both sides will only drive the parties further apart. Efforts are best focused on de-escalating tensions.”
2023-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9246 (2023) · source
“Let us continue to do everything in our power to contain the ripple effects of Russia’s actions, to help those who are suffering both in Ukraine and outside its borders, and hold accountable everyone who violates international law and supports this illegal, immoral war.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“And we are concerned that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is planning to deliver more military equipment to the Wagner Group. We condemn the actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease those deliveries and come into compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. And once again we encourage everyone to join us in that call. As we start this new year, the world is tired of war. The people of Ukraine, who have suffered so much, crave a return to a normal life. Now is the time for all countries to stand together and demand that Russia end this senseless war. We must come together in defence of the Charter of the United Nations and its most fundamental principles. We must come together to achieve a just and secure peace, consistent with the Charter.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“People in Ukraine today are suffering and dying as a result of Iran’s support. We believe Iran is now considering the sale of hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, also in violation of Council resolutions. We urge Iran to reverse course and not to take those steps. And we urge everyone who supports peace to ask Iran to do the same. Meanwhile, officials of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said publicly that they would not support Russia’s war in Ukraine. But they have since delivered arms to the Wagner Group in direct violation of Security Council resolutions. Last month, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea delivered infantry rockets and missiles into Russia for use by the Russian Federation-backed Wagner Group in violation of the Council’s sanctions resolution.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“Of course, we do not only have to rely on The New York Times; the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has documented numerous reported cases of sexual violence and torture. Just as when we warned the Council last January that Russia was planning a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we also warned the Council more recently that Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea planned to transfer prohibited materiel to Russia. They have. Since August, Iran has transferred hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, in violation of resolution 2231 (2015). Russia has been using those Iranian UAVs to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, depriving millions of Ukrainian civilians of electricity, heat and critical services in the middle of winter.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“Grain is moving at just half the rate of the pace back in September and October. The Initiative should operate as it was envisioned, moving 5 million tons of food per month. The world’s hungry deserve nothing less. Today I ask members of the Council to join us in urging Russia to scale up cooperation immediately. As we work to contain the ripple effect of Russia’s war, we must also be laser-focused on the horrors happening on the ground in Ukraine. Last week, The New York Times detailed harrowing accounts from the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s office of well- documented cases of sexual violence committed against women, men and children by Russian Federation forces. I strongly encourage everyone at this table and listening here today to read that report. The details are too awful, too sickening, for me to recount here today.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“And we thank Türkiye and the Secretary-General for helping to broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has been critical to feeding the world’s hungry. But here is the truth: the Initiative’s operations are not keeping pace with the strong global demand for Black Sea grain. Due to Russia’s deliberate slowdown of inspections, dozens of ships are waiting to depart, and dozens more are waiting for inspections before they can bring their grain cargo to the world. That backlog means extra expense and extra delay for millions of tons of grain, a majority of which is destined for developing countries. The backlog means 2.5 million tons of grain is just sitting there, waiting to move, and farmers in Ukraine are waiting to plant. Some ships have been waiting for over a month.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“President Putin chose to strike at the heart of the United Nations Charter. In fact, he chose war at the exact moment that we were working in the Council to keep the peace. Today we are all feeling the direct and spillover effects of this senseless war. For example, Russia’s war in Ukraine has dramatically exacerbated the global food crisis. The World Food Programme estimates that more than 345 million people are suffering from, or at risk of, acute food insecurity. Acute: that means they are in imminent danger of dying. Three hundred forty- five million people — that is more than double the number in 2019. Russia’s attacks and continued blocking of some Ukrainian ports have decreased Ukraine’s food exports by approximately 30 per cent.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“That is a serious, solemn duty. The Charter of the United Nations and the peace it strives to achieve is in our hands; it is in our care. Last January, we feared that peace was at risk. Twelve months ago, the United States first warned of troubling signs that Russia was planning a massive, full- scale invasion of Ukraine. As Russia amassed troops along the Ukrainian border, including in Belarus, we rang alarm bells and pursued every diplomatic avenue possible to prevent war. In January 2022, we convened urgent meetings, including at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the NATO-Russia Council and the bilateral United States-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue. Our goal was for all sides to resolve their concerns through dialogue and diplomacy. But Russia chose a different path.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing, and First Deputy Foreign Minister Dzhaparova for joining us today. On 1 January, as the rest of us were celebrating and welcoming the New Year, the people of Ukraine endured three straight nights of Russian missiles and drone strikes against their cities. Those attacks were barbaric. They destroyed systems that provide heat and light to the Ukrainian people during the coldest, darkest part of winter. They are not the actions of a country ready to give up on war. The New Year offers us, along with our new colleagues on the Security Council, an opportunity to reflect on the past year. Let us start by reminding ourselves of the mandate of this organ. The Security Council is the primary body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“We have not always been perfect, but we are holding ourselves to a higher standard and are working with our partner nations to contribute to a stable international system. Together, we are improving prosecutorial and judicial effectiveness, bolstering accountability and the transparency of criminal justice agencies and promoting criminal defence and legal aid. We will continue to do everything in our power to institutionalize respect for human rights and the rule of law at all levels. International law can save us from hell. With any luck, it will bring us closer to peace.”
2023-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9241 (2023) · source
“China and Russia repeatedly stopped the Security Council from condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful actions in 2022 by forcing the Council to stay silent, blocking the rest of the Council’s attempts to carry out its responsibility to maintain peace and security. All such violations and abuses of international law require accountability. If there is no justice, there will be no peace. Fortunately, the international system has many tools at its disposal to enforce international law. In the light of all the violations of international law that we see today, we have to ask ourselves if we are using those tools effectively. For its part, the United States will continue to advance the rule of law, both internationally and domestically, and we are willing to work with anyone seeking to do the same.”
2023-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9241 (2023) · source