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 thank Ms. Al Jerbi for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Libya to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and Ms. Noura Al Jerbi, civil society briefer. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2023/589, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. I now give the floor to Mr. Bathily.”
2023-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9402 (2023) · source
“Therefore, let us keep at it, let us work together and let us do everything in our power to advance a comprehensive, just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“We continue to support a two-State solution and to believe that good- faith dialogue is the best path to stability, and we appreciate our partners in the region that join the United States in facilitating discussions between the parties. Today I would like to acknowledge the appointment of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Jordan as non-resident consul general in Jerusalem. We stand ready to be supportive of any and all efforts that will bring us closer to a two-State solution. The bottom line is that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of security, prosperity and freedom, and we will continue to work towards those goals in tangible ways in the immediate term.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“The United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Green without Borders and its leaders last week for those activities and related actions, and we made clear when announcing those sanctions that we will continue to support Lebanese civil society groups that protect Lebanon’s natural environment, while also relentlessly pursuing Hizbullah and their support networks. We will remain vigilant concerning Iran’s support for Hizbullah and other militia groups that carry out destabilizing activities in the region. The United States continues to promote efforts to lower tensions and restore goodwill.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“At the same time, we will continue to insist that UNRWA strengthen its effectiveness and financial sustainability, and we will continue to bolster the Agency’s accountability and transparency. The United States also remains deeply concerned by Hizbullah’s provocative actions along the Blue Line, which represent an increasing threat to Lebanon’s peace and security and to Israel’s. We are committed to extending a robust United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon mission that is capable of performing its duties independently of the Lebanese Armed Forces. As part of the mandate renewal discussions, we must address the activities of Green without Borders, which has provided support and cover for Hizbullah’s operations in southern Lebanon along the Blue Line.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“The United States remains deeply concerned by the damage inflicted on the Jenin camp, including the damage done to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) installations as a result of the July Israeli security force operation. At this perilous moment, it is imperative that UNRWA be able to continue its life-saving work. I would like to thank those who have generously supported the UNRWA flash appeal. We must all make meaningful and early contributions. UNRWA faces a funding shortfall, and supportive statements by Governments are all too often not accompanied by contributions. We strongly encourage Member States to join us in funding UNRWA so that people in need can receive support and cope with rising food prices, and so that UNRWA can continue to provide education and health care.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“We encourage Israeli and Palestinian security forces to increase their cooperation to improve the security situation in the West Bank. We urge all parties to take proactive measures to counter all forms of violence and incitement to violence and to refrain from actions that inflame tensions, including settlement activity, evictions, the demolition of Palestinian homes, terrorism, incitement to violence and payments to the families of terrorists. I would also like to take a moment to urge Hamas to return the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin and release the two Israelis who are currently being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“We strongly condemn Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis, including this morning’s shooting attack near Hebron, the 19 August attack outside Huwara, which killed a father and son, and the 5 August attack in Tel Aviv, which killed an Israeli police officer. We condemn the reckless launch of rockets by militants in the West Bank, a deeply troubling event, and strongly condemn the terror attacks by settlers in Burqa on 4 August, which killed a 19-year-old Palestinian. We note Israel has made several arrests and expect accountability and justice to be pursued with equal vigour in all cases of violent extremism, whether the perpetrators are Palestinian militants or extremist Israeli settlers. The escalating violence underscores the need for the parties to take immediate steps to de-escalate and restore calm.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“I thank Mr. Wennesland for his briefing. I would like to draw the attention of speakers to paragraph 22 of the note contained in document S/2017/507, which encourages all participants in Council meetings to deliver their statements in five minutes or less, in line with the Security Council’s commitment to making more effective use of open meetings. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. I thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for his briefing. The United States remains deeply concerned about violence in the West Bank and Israel. And we express our condolences to those injured or killed in the past month.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, to participate in this meeting The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Wennesland.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“They will continue to demand accountability. And the Security Council must continue to call out the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea regime’s human rights violations and abuses. Let us therefore, in the words of Mr. Ilhyeok Kim, work together for world peace and for a better future for humanity. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to those Council members who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“People are under constant surveillance, and those who speak out can be thrown in prison, or worse, even executed. Therefore, we must give voice to the voiceless, and we must take up their cause. I suspect some in this Chamber will shrug off Mr. Kim’s brave testimony or call this meeting another demonstration of United States hostility. That is deeply cynical, and it is absurd. This meeting has always had a singular objective: to fight for the rights of the people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and to fight for international peace and security. It is unfortunate that some continue to try to protect the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from international accountability. But courageous defectors, United Nations experts and reporters will continue to expose further abuses.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“We must follow the example of those young activists, like Mr. Kim. The modern world has no place for the brutality of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the international community and the Council must continue to speak out against that injustice and its destabilizing impact on regional and international peace and security. The United States has made human rights a key focus of our presidency of the Security Council this month, and we will continue to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms at home and around the world. No country has a perfect human rights record. We all have our flaws. But in open societies, people can protest — they can drive progress forward. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — a closed, hermetically sealed country — everything is shrouded in secrecy.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“I recently met with 10 young defectors from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who risked everything for freedom, and I was brought to tears as they told me about their dangerous escapes — sometimes twice, as they were returned after their first attempts. They told me about the harrowing conditions from which they fled and about what it is like to be separated from their loved ones. One defector said that he wants nothing more than to see his dad again. He told me how much it pains him not to be able to wish his dad a happy birthday. However, while the defectors I met are cut off from their country, they have never — never — stopped dreaming of a brighter future for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They have never stopped fighting for those who still live under tyranny.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“Pyongyang also relies on forced labour and the exploitation of workers — domestically and overseas — to power its unlawful weapons programme. Security Council resolution 2397 (2017) required all Member States to repatriate nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea earning income in their jurisdiction no later than December 2019. Unfortunately, instead of repatriating some individuals and fulfilling their Security Council obligations, some Council members have repatriated people who have fled the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — people seeking a better life, people seeking freedom, people in need of protection, like Mr. Kim.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“We cannot have peace without human rights, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a case in point. Kim Jong Un’s repressive, totalitarian control of society and the systemic, widespread denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms ensure the regime can expend inordinate public resources developing its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes without public objection. That war machine, which stands in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, is powered by repression and cruelty. But make no mistake: the regime neglects the well-being of people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Its food distribution policies favour the military and lead to chronic malnourishment among its citizens.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“Reports indicate that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to hold more than 80,000 individuals in political prison camps, where, according to reports, they are widely subjected to arbitrary or summary executions, torture, starvation, gender- based violence, forced abortions and forced labour. The Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has also engaged in acts of transnational repression against its own citizens and foreign nationals. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s activities abroad have included assassination, surveillance, intimidation, abduction and forced repatriation, sometimes with the assistance of other Governments, and sometimes without the consent of other Governments, which shows the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s lack of respect for State sovereignty.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“It is an undeniable matter of international peace and security — one that demands the Council’s attention, especially because the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has not improved since the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued its landmark report (A/HRC/25/63) almost a decade ago. The commission found that the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had committed systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations and that in many instances, the violations entailed crimes against humanity.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“In April, for example, we unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls (resolution 2681 (2023)), and last December, we adopted a resolution on Myanmar that called on all parties to respect human rights (resolution 2669 (2022)). Still, the Council has been silent on a host of other human rights abuses, including abuses carried out by one of the most repressive and totalitarian States in the world: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We all just heard from all three of our briefers, who described the situation that we are faced with in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Inaction is unacceptable, which is why the United States joined Albania and Japan in requesting this long-overdue meeting.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“This year, we mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes that “the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace”. The vast majority of the world — and every Security Council member — has signed on to that foundational document, and the Council has repeatedly affirmed its responsibility to protect human rights, given their inherent connection to conflict and stability. Now, the Council has not always lived up to that responsibility, but there have been recent flashes of progress.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“I thank Mr. Kim for his briefing. I will now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. Let me start by thanking High Commissioner Türk and Special Rapporteur Salmón for their sobering briefings and their recommendations to the Council. The human rights violations and abuses they detailed are so horrific that they are almost unfathomable. But today, we heard from someone who lived those horrors — and who shared his story with the world. I am inspired by Mr. Kim. I am inspired by his bravery. By speaking out, he has helped advance the dignity and the rights of people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I thank him profusely for his presence today and hope all members of the Council heard his appeal directly to all of us.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Security Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Republic of Korea to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Ms. Elizabeth Salmón, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and Mr. Ilhyeok Kim, civil society representative. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I now give the floor to Mr. Türk.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“The United States is committed to promoting a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future for the South Caucasus region, and we will continue to engage bilaterally and multilaterally with all partners to help build that brighter future. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Peace in the region must include protections for the rights and security of individuals in Nagorno-Karabakh. The United States urges restraint and the immediate cessation of any activities that undermine the peace process and calls on all sides to fully meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. The international community must continue to engage diplomatically to facilitate dialogue and a durable, dignified peace. Negotiations are vital to a lasting peace, and we support any format that enables Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue dialogue towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We encourage all the parties to engage in direct talks, including between officials in Baku and representatives of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“We also note the possibility of compromise on additional routes for humanitarian supplies and understand that since December, the International Committee of the Red Cross has facilitated medical transfers for more than 700 people in need of medical care, thanks to a critical lifeline for medically vulnerable individuals through the Lachin corridor. Neutral, impartial, humane and independent humanitarian access and assistance, including medical transfers, must not be hindered, full stop. I want to stress the need for the parties to continue talks aimed at a lasting, peaceful resolution to the conflict and the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Those peace discussions require all the parties to exercise creativity, flexibility and compromise. Let me be clear.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. Let me start by thanking Director Wosornu for being here with us this afternoon. The United States is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. We are deeply troubled by the closure of the Lachin corridor, which has cut off people’s access to essential goods and exacerbated the humanitarian situation. Access to food, medicine, baby formula and energy should never be held hostage. We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free movement through the corridor so that commercial, humanitarian and private vehicles can reach the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“I thank Ms. Wosornu for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Türkiye to participate in this meeting. On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, to today’s meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite His Excellency Mr. Silvio Gonzato, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, to participate in this meeting.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject. The meeting rose at noon.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“That is deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable. We must all do everything possible to stamp out gender-based violence, support the United Nations peacebuilding efforts and address Yemen’s security, economic and humanitarian challenges. The Yemeni people have endured nearly a decade of fighting, and they are crying out for peace and justice. We must not let them down. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to the representative of Yemen.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“And advancing justice and accountability is key to peacebuilding efforts. To that end, the United States welcomes the launch of the Yemen Declaration for Justice and Reconciliation — an impressive initiative of over 40 Yemeni civil society organizations and survivor associations to achieve justice and reconciliation for post-conflict Yemen. We also commend Ms. Amat Al-Hajj’s advocacy for women’s rights and civil freedom and condemn the worrisome trend of gender-based violence in Yemen. The United Nations Population Fund estimates 7.1 million women and girls require services to prevent and address gender-based violence. We know women’s shelters and other services remain overstretched or completely absent. And we know women detainees and migrants in Yemen face an increased risk of sexual violence and extortion.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“The United States welcomes Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement of $1.2 billion in budget support for the Government of the Republic of Yemen, which can help mitigate the worst consequences of the dire economic situation. But more attention and financial support are needed to address Yemen’s economic and humanitarian crisis, especially at a time when the United Nations response effort in Yemen remains grossly underfunded. Houthi attacks on maritime shipping are also exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. We strongly condemn these senseless attacks, which impede much- needed oil-export revenues that fund basic services. Ultimately, as we have heard from our briefers, only a durable and inclusive political resolution between the parties can ease the suffering of the Yemeni people.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“The completion of the United Nations operation’s emergency phase was an enormous effort undertaken by the United Nations system, the international community and private sector donors. We are grateful to Mr. David Gressly and his team, the United Nations Development Programme and the ship’s crew. However, this operation is not yet finished, and we need continued coordination and funding to see it through to completion and eliminate any residual threats. The United Nations needs $22 million to finish the job, and we urge Member States, the private sector and environmental groups to step up without delay. The FSO SAFER operation is a model example of international cooperation. It shows what we can accomplish when we work together. We must use it as a blueprint as we work to meet the immense humanitarian needs of Yemen.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“The United States also welcomes the release of the five United Nations personnel who were kidnapped in the southern governorate of Abyan last year. Too many innocent people are still in detention, including wrongfully targeted individuals and religious minorities, as well as members of the United States locally employed staff who have been detained in Sana’a for over a year and a half. We call for the release of all those who have been unjustly detained, including the 11 Yemeni members of the Baha’i community and Levi Marhabi. Today I am pleased to highlight a bright spot for Yemen. The continued success of the United Nations- led FSO SAFER operation. All the oil from the decaying vessel, as we have heard, has now been transferred onto a new vessel, the Yemen.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States of America. Let me start by thanking Special Envoy Grunberg and Director Wosornu for their briefings. Their briefings highlight the intensive United Nations efforts undertaken to address the challenges facing the Yemeni people, and I am grateful for the opportunity to hear from Ms. Amat Al-Salam, Al-Hajj, founder of the Abductees’ Mothers Association, which advocates the unconditional and immediate release of unjustly detained persons in Yemen. I would also like to express my profound condolences to the family of the World Food Programme staff member, Moayad Hameidi. Those who attack and kill humanitarian workers must be held accountable.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“I thank Ms. Al-Hajj for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Saudi Arabia and Yemen to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Ms. Amat Al-Salam Abdullah Abdo Al-Hajj, Founder and President of the Abductees’ Mothers Association. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Mr. Grundberg.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9396 (2023) · source
“In the words of the late Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, “silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented”. We must all urge the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to end the bloodshed and the suffering of the Sudanese people. There is no acceptable military solution to the conflict, and peace cannot wait another day. I resume my functions as President of the Council. I now give the floor to the representative of the Sudan.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“We must encourage those countries to ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers have access to needed protections. We must work towards a future in which the Sudan is back on the path of democracy. The Sudan’s political future belongs to the Sudanese people. We support members of civil society, professional and labour unions, resistance committees, women and youth organizations, as they heroically work to meet emergency needs, push for peace and resume the stalled democratic transition so that freedom, peace and justice in the Sudan can be realized. At this perilous moment, this body must speak out unequivocally with one voice in the name of peace. We should never give in to forces that want to stop the Council from addressing matters of international peace and security.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“We must also work together to ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach people in dire need, including those who cannot leave their homes because of fighting, fuel shortages or simply fear. Bureaucratic hurdles and other barriers have hindered relief efforts. That, too, is unacceptable. Humanitarian workers must be free to do what they do best. They save lives. They need to be able to do that without roadblocks or delays. We call on the Sudanese authorities to expedite visa approvals for humanitarian workers, enable the movement of humanitarian goods and personnel throughout the Sudan and facilitate the importation of humanitarian goods and equipment. As the situation in the Sudan has spiralled, neighbouring countries have stepped up to welcome refugees. We are deeply grateful for those acts of humanity.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“That would only intensify and prolong the conflict at the expense of the people of the Sudan. We also support coordinated international diplomatic efforts by the African Union, IGAD, the League of Arab States, the United Nations and other parties from the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. But until the guns are silenced, and as long as the humanitarian crisis continues, we must support the people of the Sudan, who have endured so much needless suffering. The United States remains the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the people of the Sudan. We are working to support the millions of internally displaced people and the nearly 1 million people who have crossed into neighbouring countries to seek refuge.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“As we approach the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we have a responsibility to live up to the promise of that foundational document — not just to extol human rights but to defend them. We must all therefore demand that the parties comply with their obligations under the international humanitarian law on the protection of civilians. Of course, the best way to do that would be for the parties to end the brutal conflict once and for all. The United States and regional and international partners are united in calling on the parties to immediately put down their weapons, and we echo the calls of countries in the region, including the 10 July communiqué of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), for preventing any external interference or military support.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the reported atrocities, which are an ominous reminder of the horrific events in 2004 that led us to determine that genocide had been committed in Darfur. And we are gravely concerned about the risk of further conflict in North and Central Darfur, specifically through the reported build-up of the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated forces near El Fasher, which poses a threat to non-Arab populations in the area. We are deeply concerned about unconfirmed reports of armed actors in the Sudan preventing people from leaving the area of Darfur in search of safety, including across the border into Chad.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“Children have often been forcibly recruited and subjected to violence. Women have been brutally raped. The fighting has blocked humanitarian assistance, food, water, medicine and other essentials from reaching people in dire need. There are credible reports that the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have carried out continued atrocities and other abuses in West Darfur. There have been killings based on ethnicity, widespread sexual violence and the burning and looting of homes and villages, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee to neighbouring Chad and other countries. History is repeating itself in the most tragic way possible.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“I welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of the Sudan, and I look forward to hearing his statement on the situation in the country and particularly on the efforts to end the senseless war. I also want to thank the United Kingdom for requesting this important meeting. Ms. Wosornu noted in her statement the lack of international coverage of the situation in the Sudan, which highlights the importance of having an open briefing such as this one. It has been more than 100 days since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. In that time, senseless violence has wrought unthinkable suffering. In the words of a doctor from Khartoum, the situation has become a living hell. Millions of people have been displaced. We heard the numbers today. Civilians have been shot dead in the street.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the United States. I would like to thank Ms. Wosornu for her leadership and Assistant Secretary-General Pobee for her sobering briefing. And while we were grateful for the Assistant Secretary-General’s participation, we had expected Special Representative of the Secretary- General Perthes to brief the Security Council. We now understand that the Sudanese Government warned that it would close the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan if the Special Representative of the Secretary-General participated in this briefing, and that is unacceptable.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of the Sudan to participate in this meeting. In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Department of Peace Operations, and Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I give the floor to Ms. Pobee.”
2023-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9394 (2023) · source
“We continue to press for action in the OPCW and here in the Council, so that the OPCW can make progress towards fulfilling its investigative mandate, which has shed light on the regime’s numerous chemical-weapon attacks. Let me be clear. The United States remains committed to pursuing justice for the victims of Ghouta and other chemical-weapon attacks. We must never forget their victims and survivors. Their loved ones deserve justice. The Syrian people deserve justice. The Council must come together to demand justice and, at long last, real steps to end Syria’s chemical-weapon threat. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. I give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements.”
2023-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9393 (2023) · source
“It would mean turning a blind eye to regimes that choose to manufacture, stockpile and use chemical weapons. We have heard some of our colleagues say that our monthly meetings on this issue feel repetitive. And I have to say that I regret that two permanent members of the Council have indicated that they will not speak today on a matter of such gravity. But the Al-Assad regime is betting that the Council will simply move on. It is hoping that we will change the subject. We must not succumb to fatigue — or worse, indifference. The Al-Assad regime used weapons of mass destruction against its own people. We will not move on, and the regime will not escape accountability. Syria has a duty to implement its obligations under the CWC in resolution 2118 (2013). We urge Damascus to stop delaying, obfuscating and spreading disinformation.”
2023-08-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9393 (2023) · source